It’s April 27th and there are only three days to go until May. So that means we’re enjoying decent temps, sunny days and lots of fast growing veggies in the garden beds, right? Right?
Not a chance. Sigh. This is the mountains after all and the one thing you can count on is that it’s never predictable. So far it’s been very wet and cool and all my pretty radishes, snow peas, cauliflower, broccoli, mustard, lettuce, chard, kale, pak choy, arugula, strawberries (yeah, you get it) are just sitting there at about 2 to 6 inches tall and the farmer’s market opens in just two and a half weeks! And that’s the delayed opening date cuz of this whole Corona virus thing. Yikes! Better start praying for some sunshine!
No matter how I try to prepare, farming, as they say, “ain’t easy.” They also say, “if farmin’ was easy everyone would do it!” And they would be right. Let’s take squash and zucchini for example. Now, how many times do you think your Happy Homesteader (me) has started those seeds indoors in pots this spring? That would be three so far and I may start them again in a few more days. Why? Because squash and zucchini don’t really like to be transplanted and if their roots outgrow the pot before you can transplant them out into the garden, they won’t do well.
So you gamble on when the weather will be warm enough and try to gauge how early to start the tender plants so you will be prepared with lots of lovely cucurbits to sell at the market. And why try to start early? Because there are other vendors at the market who are fortunate enough to have high tunnels and greenhouses and all manner of things to bring their produce to market earlier than I can here on the little half acre.
And now that I’m in full whine mode, I also got a late start on some prep work on the garden beds. A major surgery at the end of February put me three weeks behind after the surgeon told me to avoid heavy moving and lifting for six weeks. Seriously??? Growing food is nothing if not heavy lifting and moving so I “chomped at the bit” for several weeks while the garden beds set idle. At least I got to use the surgery as an excuse to not publish any blog posts since January! Hey, for the Happy Homesteader, thinking and writing is very heavy work indeed! Anyway, we’re back on track now. Beds are all prepped and mostly planted out. Now, if only the weather will cooperate! Meanwhile, I sit inside with a cup of French chocolate next to a cozy fire in the wood stove and make plans…..
