The Farm in February

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Clearing brush (mostly Honeysuckle) from the field edges

When folks ask what we do in the winter, I joke that winter is when we work normal 9 to 5 hours instead of the not uncommon 80 – hour work weeks that the growing season brings. Yep, we have plenty to do in the winter, so even though the fields are bare and coolers are pretty much empty, we’re busy! We need to get the fields, barns, and equipment in working order so when it’s time to hit the ground running in the spring, we are ready. Tires are changed, chains are fixed, routine maintenance completed. Some years we have extra special projects that get done in the winter and this year we are completely renovating and reorganizing our packing shed (where produce comes to be washed/processed after harvest). Over the years we have added concrete floors to sections of the barn and this winter brought a final installation. Now that the entire barn is outfitted with concrete, we can organize an efficient and roomy wash space. I’m looking forward to putting it all together in the coming weeks!

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Clearing out the barn contents
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All smiles as we install the new floor drain
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Filbrun Concrete did a fantastic job!
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Wall to wall concrete!

We have also started seeding for the year and the greenhouse is fired up. February 12 was the start date for seeding — a task that will now be done weekly for 25 weeks straight. By April our greenhouse will be filled to the brim with future food! Things are really shaping up and we are setting ourselves up to successfully produce more food than ever! We’ll update you with our late winter/early spring progress in the coming weeks!

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Onions are the first thing on the seeding chart
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Onion seedlings enjoying a sunny day