Growing Food Is No Small Task

As I am parking the lawn mower I see a groundhog in the main growing gardens.  What now!

First it was the hail.  Large, ragged, ping pong sized hail shredded the whole growing area.  A total loss.  The day after was heartbreaking,  A few days later, a glimmer of hope.  Some of the plants look like they are going to recover.  A boost of joy.

The other day as I was putting the chickens away, I saw a raccoon in the growing area.  Another pest ready to eat all the plants.  A person can’t get a break.  Everything wants to eat your produce!

A couple of days later, I was walking in the garden and guess who I saw, a rabbit.  Now what!  I chased the rabbit around trying to see where the rabbit got in.  No luck.  I couldn't find the entrance point that the rabbit was using to get into the garden.  Yesterday, I was mowing and I saw the rabbit on the other side of the fence.  Hoping the garden eating pest stays out for good.  I found an entrance point.  It is now fixed.

The birds eat the strawberries, cherries, berries, and serviceberries.  The raccoons love to eat everything.  The rabbit will destroy your crops, piece by piece.  The woodchuck loves garden plants.  And these are just the beginning of crop damage.

Next comes the bugs.  The cucumber beetle is the worst for the vining varieties.  They are vectors.  The bug feeds on the plant, the disease is along for the ride, attacks your plants, and poof, the plant will be finished in a little bit of time.  Yes, there are some plant varieties that have been developed to resist the disease.  The key word “resist”.  Not totally, untouched by the disease.

After all of this, you may ask yourself “why in the world does he grow in the first place?!?”  Because I ask myself the same question.  Here’s my answer to that question…I grow because I can.  Simply put.  I get to grow food.  Yes, there are really hard times.  Yes, I have seen a lot of plant destruction over the years.  This year has been one of the most challenging.  I grow food on the farm because I can.  

Peace on an April Evening

View from the top of the hill

The spring time stream

Tonight, I decided to go on a hike on the back part of the farm.  There is a large, sloped hill on the back part of the farm.  In the storms of life, nature teaches me a lesson of being at peace.  

There was one point on my journey I only heard silence.  A moment to cherish.  In life, there are many distractions.  I felt the silence of the evening and I am forever grateful.

The Start of the Season

Today, Friday the 28th of March, 2025 officially is the beginning of the growing season!  

I planted 5 trays of cold crop plants.  They include the following plants:

Kale, Savoy Cabbage, Kohlrabi, Brussels Sprouts, and Bunching Onions

I am excited for the kickoff to the season.  The weather today is unseasonably warm.  It’s 76 degrees.  The frost isn’t even out of the ground fully, and It’s warm outside.  

The weather has been moderate to average this season.  The forecast calls for a whole day of rain tomorrow with a chance of storms this evening.  I am hoping we get some kind of moisture.  Our region continues to be in a persistent drought.

Last spring, we got a bunch of rain and had a dry summer.  Winter came and we never had much snow.  I do hope there will be some moisture soon.

Tray of Starts

Why is everything so heavy?

A question I ask myself all the time.  

I ask this question many times as I am unloading multiple bags of feed.

Why don’t the bags ever feel light?!

The chickens, cats, and geese all need feed.  Each bag of feed weighs 50 pounds.  When you live a far distance from any store, you buy many bags.

I always feel relieved when the bags are unloaded.  

As I am writing this post, the cats need food.  I think to myself “didn’t we just buy cat food?”

Recently, I have seen on the local news people lining up to start a backyard chicken flock.  It looked like the day after Thanksgiving.  Here is a little bit of advice, buy lots of chicken feed.  The bags never get light.  The chickens are constantly eating.  No matter how much you give them, they always want more.  A 50 pound bag of chicken feed is always a 50 pound bag of feed.  I do wish everyone good luck starting chickens.  Chickens have been a part of my life since 2009.

Who knew (I would never have thought) a person that grew up in a townhouse, could write a blog about farm life.

The Sun is Shining

Today, is a new day. I have always liked that phrase and today, the sun is shining. The little snow that fell yesterday, has started to disappear. A relief. One day closer for the frost to leave the ground. You may be thinking “why does he care about the frost?” I will answer that question. Once the frost is gone, the growing season is official. A time of celebration. Also. a time to become extremely busy.

Each year in March, I get excited. The season of growing is just about here. The days are longer. The chickens are finally starting to lay eggs again. The dark, long nights of winter are passing. Farmers’ Market is only a few months away….

The sun is shining! A great day.