This spring has been a little challenging.
It stayed super cold through March, with a few snow events and lots of below-freezing temperatures after I had planted out quite a few crops. But despite the snow and cold we kept chugging along, starting seeds, getting beds prepared when the soil was dry, and keeping the greenhouse warm.
Gavin got up several times a night to go out and stoke the fire in the wood stove to keep our transplants from freezing.
I did lots of planting on cold, dreary 30-40 degree days.
Lots of brassicas in the ground. And covered.
Someday these will be flowers.
Mei Qing Choi, Pac choi, Vivid Choy, Tatsoi ready to plant.
April brought a drastic change in the weather and we have had continuous 70-90 degree temperatures and not a bit of frost! Yes, this is spring!
Bean planting.
The sweet potatoes have sprouted lots of slips. We’re doing seven varieties this year!
Early potatoes in the little tunnel, and furrowing for the main potato planting going on outside.
Ten varieties of spuds this year.
Salad mix… we had a market last weekend and lots of green leafy veggies to take! Everything coming from the tunnel.
Gavin has been focused on getting the new larger tunnel completed.
Fastening the wiggle-wire channel to the end wall to hold on the plastic.
Stapling up the sidewall.
Constructing a contraption to attach to the pallet forks to lift the roll of plastic above the peak of the tunnel.
In action. The first sheet went on so easily.
By the time we got to the second sheet the wind had picked up and we had continuous frustration, including lots of holes and almost the whole sheet falling off the side onto the ground. Oops.
But we eventually conquered, just the two of us. Cutting off the excess plastic. Gavin is spiderman.
Lots of ladder work. Our asparagus is coming in! Too bad we can only cut them for 7-10 days this year. These perennial crops require some extreme patience and diligent weeding.
Look at all that covered space. I can’t wait to get some veggies in there!
Sandyfoot Farm 
Gavin. I thought it was too cold for sweet potatoes??? I usually plant in May at the earliest???? Your greenhouses look great, I just wish I had the land, etc.. arnie , Moyock has had a lot of rain !!
We have not planted the sweet potatoes yet, just growing the slips so that we will have some ready for May planting. Still a couple of cold nights forecast for this weekend, but otherwise it’s been such a beautiful spring (since April that is).
The progression from snow covered ground to the spring planting is amazing in this entry. You have made great progress with the new hoop house. I wish we were closer to get to your market regularly. The produce is beautiful.
Thank you.
Those salad leaves! yum.
Everything looks great. I love the work y’all are doing. This spring has been a real challenge for us, since we don’t have any hoop houses. I’m still a month behind on nearly everything! You won’t regret putting in the time to have that asparagus. We’ve had our patch for years (and I’ve been adding to it every year). Keeping the weeds out is a major challenge though. If you have any tips for that I hope you’ll share them. 🙂
I agree… weeds in the asparagus are a Major Challenge. I was just looking at them today and after all my weeding this winter it is a disaster area once again. I would like to mulch them heavily but that would be a huge task, and with so many other tasks during the busy season it doesn’t seem likely to happen. Maybe next year we’ll do better.
Hope your season is bountiful even with the late start!