Spring is well under way, and I am thrilled to be spending time in the garden on increasingly warm, sunny days. Of course, on the administrative side of things, I launched this website last month to give Fairydiddle Farm an online base where you can learn more about the farm and stay up to date on what’s growing and other news. If you haven’t already, make sure to sign up to receive new blog post notifications in your email inbox.
So what is growing?
In the garden, lettuce, green onions, peas, and garlic are all coming along nicely. As you can see in the photos below, they still have a little growing to do before they can be harvested, but all except the garlic should be ready in a couple weeks. Garlic takes a long time to mature and will be harvested this summer.
Four of the beds are currently covered in thick black plastic to kill weeds and the winter rye I used as a cover crop. After three or more weeks, removing the plastic reveals bare soil ready for planting! This technique, called occultation, eliminates the need for tilling. Not only does this reduce Fairydiddle Farm’s carbon footprint, but it preserves the natural soil structure, and healthy soil grows healthy plants.
The perennial herbs are growing back beautifully, including oregano, lavender, thyme, lemon balm, rosemary, and mint. Because my main herb garden is open to the neighbor’s meadow, I transplanted the mint to a more contained bed where it can spread without becoming invasive, and it seems not to even have noticed. Basil and chamomile will soon join these perennials but are currently still under the grow light, along with marigolds, jalapenos, and tomatoes. The largest tomato starts are spending increasing amounts of time on the front porch to harden them off in preparation for being planted in the garden. Mmm, tomatoes.
Although the spring vegetables aren’t ready for harvesting yet, I hope to be at the farmer’s market in a week or two with a few herb starts as well as knit and crocheted items and notecards featuring Paul’s (my husband) photography. Enjoy the sunshine, and I hope to see you soon!