Well it sure doesn't seem like spring is just around the corner but I guess it is. Fields are frozen and muddy, but it's time to get going. I got my first seed order today and it's time to get them started inside. I still haven't gotten lime down on the fields and that worries me. I read a good article today about burning the asparagus patch. I have thought for a while that it seemed like a good idea. All those left over weeds that build up late in the summer make a great nesting place for rabbits and other pests. Burning the patch in March gets rid of them and allows you to get a good leaf mulch down before they start in again. The article says the asparagus will come up through the mulch but the weeds won't. I'm going to burn all my fields when they dry out enough. Becca doesn't like it but I think it's a great way to get started fresh.

One exciting note about this year is that my friend and neighbor, Jim Joyner, and I are trying a new method called Aquaponics in a green house he has. We have been growing lettuces and other greens in it for about a year now and are ready to go at it full throttle this year. The plants grow in a gravel bed with water running under the beds. This promotes quick growth, and also allows you to control the root temperatures by adjusting the water temps. So, in the heat of summer you can run cool water under them and continue producing nice fresh leaf lettuces which normally would bolt in such hot weather. Most people have heard of Hydroponics, which is similar. The difference is that the plants still get the vital nutrients and minerals from the Aquaponic method where with Hydroponics the plants grow only in water, and therefore don't have the taste or health values of things grown in soil. We plan on introducing a few new things to the beds this year and also grow through the winter as well.

We are also making a bigger effort to grow our market and restaurant sales this summer. I have a few ideas of how we can do this. The biggest is that we will not plant in the traditional rows as we have in the past. We started last year with what are essentially raised beds in the fields. These beds allow us to grow much more per square inch and eliminate a lot of the work involved in the row planting. I have enlisted our neighbor Jake to help us again this year. That man can do the work of three men in the fields. Between him and my two kids should have us in good shape when the weeds hit.

Well, I guess I need to get to work instead of sitting here blogging. It sure is cold out though...

Come on Spring!!