Good morning!
Growing Fresh Food in the Michigan Winter is just crazy business! The strong winds about 3 weeks ago damaged my strongest hoop house, the Baby Lettuce crop froze for the first time in memory, and even that coveted January thaw that I rely on for special harvests and necessary repairs never materialized.
Undeterred, we are past the 10 hours of daylight; I already see signs of renewed vigor in the Spinach beds. We have a nursery full of greens that make up our Spring Mix, The Microgreens are making a strong comeback, and even the re-planted Baby Lettuce should mature faster. Moving past Winter, this week we finish plating cold weather brassicas like Kale, Broccoli, and Cabbage. Next week we'll be planting early Tomatoes and Peppers, soon to be followed by Cucumbers. Eternal and undeterred Optimism!
I think I can get by with one more propane fill up for the nursery. Propane is up fifty cents/ gallon, our seed orders are up over 20% and organic potting soils and fertilizers more than that. Still, we have a lot of our own compost cooking (that has tested well at Michigan State), so we can hold off on fertilizers a little, and if sales remain strong, I can hold off on price increases, at least for now.
