This last week, with the start of the busy hoophouse planting season, it seems as if spring has now officially arrived here in the Northland. The ice is all melted off of the farm irrigation pond now, and gone too are the muddy snow piles next to the driveway. We've still got a few stubborn snow piles on the north side of buildings, but the spring peepers and wood frogs have been telling them their time is short as well. No doubt, we're still in for some cold weather ahead, but there's no turning back now. The switch has flipped to "Spring" now, and I am ready.
I think we're all beginning to adjust to the strange, new "normal" of safer at home now. On the bright side, since they are not at school all day, the kids have been able to pitch in and help here on the farm. After they are finished zooming/doing schoolwork, they come help me for an hour or two, and we work on applying biology (the role worms and other soil microbes play in plant health), math (lots of square footage calculations, weighing and proportions), marvel at the little things we find (why swiss chard roots have red coloring/pigment in them?), and get some exercise while we work. Applied learning was always more fun to me, anyway! This week, we've been busy prepping hoophouse beds for planting, spreading compost, harvesting spinach, and getting transplants in the ground - swiss chard, scallions, and collards are in the ground and growing. The kids are a great crew, and I feel fortunate that I can spend a little more time with them this spring!
But seriously, why ARE swiss chard roots red?!
Here you can see all that swiss chard planted next to a fall planted garlic crop that came up nicely in one of our hoophouses. Meanwhile, the pepper transplants in the greenhouse are really taking off with the last few sunny warm days. Some of these peppers will be transplanted directly into our heated greenhouse, and we hope to have peppers a month earlier than we would from later plantings in unheated hoophouses or outside. We're always looking for any little thing we can do to get an edge on our short growing season up here!
Out in the hoophouses, the fall planted spinach is going gangbusters now with longer, warmer days. Cold tolerant crops like spinach actually enjoy our cooler growing season - they can't grow spinach like this in sunny California! We've got to play to our strengths up here.
Lastly, I've got a few logistics to share with you. Beginning with this delivery on April 15, we'll have a pickup option for your boxes at the Trinity Lutheran Church parking lot in Duluth. If you know someone who lives outside of town, this could be a good option for them to be able to get better access to products while still keeping trips to crowded grocery stores to a minimum. If you live in town, picking up at the TLC parking lot will save you the $10 delivery charge. We will be maintaining safe distancing while people pick up their boxes, so please wait your turn before coming to get your box at the table.
Finally, Melissa let me know that her hoophouse tulips are beginning to bloom, so spring tulip deliveries will begin NEXT WEEK! If you're looking for a way to brighten up your day (or someone else's day!) Melissa at Wild Hollow Farm does a fantastic job with her flowers. They will be available for delivery at the TLC parking lot for pick up, or if you order a Farm Stand home delivery box, they can be delivered to your door with your Farm Stand order. These tulip bouquets will only be available for short but sweet 5 weeks, so if you would like to get a delivery each week (or biweekly for 3 weeks) you can sign up on the website at https://www.bayfieldfoods.org/
Stay safe out there, and happy spring!
Chris Duke
Farmer, Great Oak Farm
CSA manager, Bayfield Foods
