Volunteer Days March 25 to March 31

Wednesday, March 28 from noon to 3:  We'll do general maintenance, repairs and clean up.

Thursday, March 29 from 8:30 to noon:  We'll plant leeks and potatoes, prepare a bed for parsnips, weed and thin the carrots, and weed the winter root bed.

Friday, March 30 from 1:00 to 3:00:  We'll transplant sage and cosmos seedlings to bigger pots, prepare several beds, and weed, feed and mulch the big shade bed.

Pictures of the Week

Here's one of our third grade crews posing in front of one of the 8 blueberry bushes they planted last week.  The bushes are beautiful, 4 years old and big; donated by Ans Bilhorn.  Thank you Ans!!

At last, the giant root has been vanquished!  Thank you Ian for applying all your skill and muscle in the noble fight.  Talk about a serious weeding job!

Volunteer Work Days March 18 to 24 and Weekly Update

Sunday, March 18, 8:30 to 10:30:  We'll plant leeks and potatoes, thin the carrots, weed the winter root bed, add manure to the compost and spread cardboard and wood chips on the paths between the beds.

Monday, March 19, noon to 5:00:  We'll plant a flat of zinnia, plant borage and rudbeckia seeds in one of the beds, transplant marigold starts into bigger pots, and work on preparing a few more beds for flowers.

Thursday, March 22, 8:30 to noon:  We'll plant arugula and transplant lettuce and maybe chard into the beds, plant another flat of lettuce, transplant flats of sage and celery into bigger pots, prepare beds for more planting and weed the sorrel.

Friday, March 23, 1:00 to 3:00:  We'll finish up anything we didn't get to on Thursday and weed the asparagus and winter leaf beds.

Pictures of the Week

You had to be there.  Third graders dancing and waving around large red vegetables singing "We got the beet!"  It was priceless.

Some of our hard working farmers showing off the first spring harvest for 2012.  You can enjoy the fruits of their labors with them if you stop by the Farmer's Market table on Tuesdays at drop off or pick up.  Hope to see you there!

Farm Work Days March 11 to 17, 2012

Tuesday Market starts next week, March 13.  Bring your cash or check at pick up or drop off time and get your healthy, delicious, fresh, biodynamic veggies grown by our own students and volunteers.

Monday, March 12, 8:30 to 10:30 - We'll plant a flat of cosmos, plant calendula and larkspur seed outdoors, prep bed space for zinnia, cosmos, aster, thyme and marigold, and feed the rose bush.

Tuesday, March 13, 8:30 to 10:30 - We'll plant a flat each of lettuce and chard, transplant lettuce to their outdoor bed, plant more cilantro outdoors, prep bed space for celery and fennel, and weed the sorrel.

Thursday, March 15, 8:30 to noon - We'll transplant the blueberry bushes that were donated to us by Ans Bilhorn (Thank you Ans!), prep bed space for tomatoes, beans, butternut squash, pumpkins, zucchini, peppers and melons, and weed, feed, edge and trellis the raspberries.

Friday, March 16 - Work day is cancelled for teacher in-service.

Pictures of the Week

On Monday we harvested our winter carrots for the first time.  The children had been anticipating this moment all winter long and were not disappointed.  Each carrot came out differently that the one before it.  Some were long, some short.  Some had two "legs" or a corkscrew shape.  All of them were sweet and delicious!

Farm Work Days, March 4 to March 10, 2012

Sunday, March 4, 8:30 to 10:30:  We'll finish weeding and feeding the big shade bed, prep a new bed for more annuals, and start weeding the big perennial bed.

Thursday, March 8, 8:30 to 11:30:  We'll plant a flat of tomatoes, weed a bed for corn, beans, tomatoes and butternut squash, and weed, feed, edge and trellis the raspberries.

Friday, March 9, 1:00 to 3:00:  We'll plant the last of the carrots, plant the potatoes if the seed has come in, thin the first planting of carrots, add manure to the compost pile, and weed the winter root bed.

Signs of Spring

The daffodils and pansies are in full bloom.

Annayse is using this lovely warm day to take care of her hives.

And, last but certainly not least, the much anticipated asparagus is sending up its first tentative shoots.  The Tuesday Markets will be reopening soon!!

Volunteer Work Days February 26 to March 3, 2012

Thursday, March 1, 8:30 to 11:30:  We'll plant more carrots, prep bed space for potatoes, leeks, and parsnips, and do some weeding.

Friday, March 2, 1:00 to 3:00:  We'll plant flats of aster and thyme, prep bed space for rudbeckia, borage, and sunflowers, prune, weed and feed the lantana and feed the rose bush.  

Pictures of the Week

Last Monday, 3 out of 4 parent chaperones thought they wouldn't be able to join the class due to illness, car trouble and travel plans.  High school in-service crews to the rescue!  Below you can see Kolyer, Aaron and Bennet helping 3rd grade to turn a bed.

Here is Charlie, who comes every week, not just for emergencies, watching over his crew as they weed a bed. 

Volunteer Appreciation Party

It was definitely a cold day.  One of the children found this hunk of ice in the creek to prove it.  

But we stayed toasty warm with the fire that Batian helped to build.

We grilled some of our own home grown shiitake mushrooms,

toasted marshmallows,

drank hot chocolate, hot cider or hot tea, ate pesto noodles made from our own basil,

and generally enjoyed each others' company

If you missed out this year, no worries, we plan to make this an annual event.  Without volunteers, this farm could not exist.  

Thank you!!

Volunteer Schedule - February 19 to 25, 2012

Even though we are having a break from school this week, the needs of the garden are growing as the amount of sunlight increases and we move towards warmer weather.  Please come help if you're looking for something to do over the break!

Wednesday, February 22 from 1 to 3:  We'll start prepping an area for a mix of flowers that hummingbirds love, plant some marigold seeds in flats, finish weeding and feed the big shade bed for flowers, and edge up another bed for flowering annuals.

Friday, February 24 from 1 to 3:  We'll plant a flat each of lettuce and chard for indoor starting, plant spinach, dill and cilantro in the beds, weed the sorrel and start prepping another bed for spring planting.

Saturday, February 25 from 1 to 3:  We'll clean out the greenhouse, move rocks, retire our old scarecrows, clean up the fire ring and move some soil to even out some "dents" at the front of the garden.

If you guessed that last week's picture was of 2 Praying Mantis egg sacs, you were right.

Picture of the Week

This is one of the early spring bouquets that made an appearance at the farm volunteer's party on Sunday.  Stay tuned for more pictures of the party.