We are welcoming April with a smile. The sunshine and green colors are slowly filling in all around us.
A few daffodils are just starting to open up. We love watching the blue jays and cardinals in the lilac bushes. They seem to know to take turns and share the space, as we have not seen them there at the same time.
This is a particularly dry Spring still, which is out of the ordinary and challenging. It does allow for more early field work, which is nice. We are adding some low pressure overhead sprinklers this week, as it is too soon to install the drip irrigation. Did you know that most crops need a solid 1 inch of rain per week, and would prefer about 2 inches of rain, especially when there is lots of wind.
We’ve been wheelbarrowing a lot of wood chips lately, building beds where the onions will be planted. The wood chips make a great mulch; adding organic matter, retaining moisture, supporting a great environment for healthy earthworm activity, and connecting beneficial fungal colonies. The wisdom of the forest meets the open areas of farmland through this practice.
We hope everyone has a great week!
Warm Regards,
Adam and the Country Valley Farm Team
Visit us on Instagram @countryvalleyfarm