From the Snow in January to the 100 degrees of June

Well, there's a lot to catch up on here on the farm.

1. Our trusty peach tree that precedes us on this property and which has been so good to the birds and the bugs is nearly at the end of its life. There have been four major branches that just have fallen off this spring due to the rotten wood and the weight of the peaches. There are two remaining parts of the tree and these continue to be full of peaches but it looks miserable. We are already thinking about what to do this fall or winter when it breathes it's last breath so to speak. It must be 20+ years old and is fundamentally rotting from the inside out.

2. The kitchen garden was expanded about 50% into the space that was prepared by the chickens. The chicken coop was moved a second time by tractor at night and is now down near the lower garden. Before their move, the chickens had prepared the soil for us so nicely by working/scratching with a huge pile of compost over the past year or so. We expanded the deer and rabbit fence around the new space, tilled it, made beds, and planted it this spring. The soil is nearly black from the compost which is a big contrast with our native red clay. Susan ordered a new set of drip hosing and lengthened the ones we had. The new kitchen garden is about 30 by 60 feet. It includes about 20 beds plus a cold frame.

3. Susan has planted the following: multiple varieties of heirloom tomatoes, lots of different kinds of peppers, two kinds of squash, two different cucumbers, varieties of lettuce, turnips, beets, two beds of yukon gold potatoes, vidalia onions, three beds of garlic (5 types), eggplant, spinach, and some things I'm surely leaving out. We have harvested a lot all spring and early summer and are on the verge of the big, big harvest time. I think there are about 35 tomato plants which are my favorite of course.

4. The really cool thing Susan did this year was grow everything from seeds, using the garage as a greenhouse. At one point there were over 600 plants growing in the garage. We still have a second crop of peppers and tomatoes to move to the garden. This has been so successful that we will do this annually going forward.

5. Our son Jody moved this spring from a house into a condominium and he gave us his hot tub. We had a concrete pad built in the courtyard and the hot tub was moved and connected. The first time we used it was in January with our friends, David and Carol Anne Trent from Charlotte. It was 14 degrees and snowing - pretty cool - no really cold but the 104 degrees of the hot tub took care of the cold in a very nice way.

6. Susan has worked hard at planting several of the flower beds in the courtyard - probably 200 plants over a period of three months. It looks radically different and is becoming the courtyard that we envisioned when we designed the house. Very pleasant with the pond, waterfalls, lilies, and other flowering perennials. Jami and Owen helped repair an old bench last fall and it is strategically located in the shade and gives us a retreat spot for quiet times. Now Susan has begun to plant the area around the peach tree out front and it's taking nice shape - hopefully it will be established before the peach tree has to be removed.

7. Not much new on the wild animal front - Susan ran off two foxes that were close to the chicken house a few weeks ago. Today we saw an animal scoot along the side of the woods - either a fox or a coyote based on the way it was moving. A few wild turkeys, lots of perching buzzards, big hawks, lots of birds - an Indigo Bunting this week, but usually cardinals, bluebirds and humming birds are dominant. Only spotted black snakes twice this year - and no bears or mountain lions. We are often able to see and hear pileated woodpeckers at dawn on the dead tree next door and hear the barn owl at night. Actually very nice.

8. Our farm animals continue to be healthy. We have added five new hens because our original flock had been producing fewer eggs (and none in the winter!) so now we have 10 hens and one rooster (Earl). We bought biddies at Efland Feed Mill and raised them in the garage until they were ready to go outside (mainly big enough to fend off the hawks). Hopefully 10 hens will produce enough eggs in the winter. Della (black lab) is great as always, Daisy the Lancier dog had an infection but we caught it and got her treated in time and now she is sheared for the hot summer. the three goats (Muffin, Heidi and Chloe) are doing fine. Tom is our surviving cat as Jerry disappeared in September and he copes pretty well despite his asthma or breathing disorder.

9. We continue to focus on either growing our own food or knowing the people we buy from. It costs more but the taste is surely better and we have the satisfaction of knowing that we are nearly 100% local and nearly 100% organic. No pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizer, etc. If any one wants to talk about this, call us. We also recommend anything by Michael Pollan, especially "Omnivore's Dilemma" or "In Defense of Food". We buy beef from Rob Hogan near Chapel Hill, pork from Cane Creek Farm, chicken from Weaver Street Market, vegetables from the farmers markets or our garden.

10. We have befriended many others in this local, organic gardening community, including Shoe, who is an encyclopedia of farming knowledge and has given us so many good ideas. He does some experimental seed growing for seed distributors, has a small farm near Hillsborough, and is a staple at the Hillsborough Farmers Market. He is like a "Ben Franklin" of gardening, always looking for the new idea, the better way, the easier tool, the best fencing, etc. Shoe of course is his nickname and comes naturally - as he never wears shoes, even in the winter. One of the kindest, gentle persons we have ever met. we visited his farm last fall and he gave Susan some of his seeds which she planted this spring. Also he has recommended a number of tools for weeding, hoeing, etc. which are wonderful. Maybe I can talk about tools in a future posting.

Well, that's it for now. Hopefully you've caught up with us in June 2010.

Dwight