Cant Trust April

Spring Break for our Montgomery County kids was last week and we had over 500 visitors to Mountainside and the greenhouse. Of all the activities we hosted the harvest session was by far the most popular.  Kids love to eat what we are growing and they were excited to take home pepper plants.

My activity was to take kids on a hike and to Notice!  With young adults so absorbed by their cell phones our society is becoming oblivious to their surroundings.  I had the children notice things like vines growing on a tree, erosion in deep ravine, tree tubes that need to be removed from our riparian buffer and a few deer bones along the way.

Ten days ago I bought a tiller and got started on the garden but Nick has determined that a deep till is necessary and we need Jason Wood to bring out his plow to bust up the soil more than our equipment is capable.  It delayed planting but with freezing temps predicted for tonight it is a good thing that we were were forced to wait. April is so unpredictable! It was darn near 80 on Friday, going to hit 70 today and temps are going to fall into the 20's tonight.  The standard rule is plant in mid April and despite a mild winter it looks hold true for this year as well so all of those seedlings that are ready to go in the greenhouse will stay there until the end of the week

Mountainside is a bevy of activity right now.  We have the concrete guys repairing the basketball court, the building construction finally underway,  painting in the pool house and pool rehab with new tiles and coping stones so when my grandson Mason came down to visit pop pop on the tractor he was in hog heaven.  Little boys love heavy equipment and with all the activity he was transfixed.  He rode with my on the tractor while I was tilling had he has decided that he wants to operate heavy equipment and be a farmer.  He even hopped off the tractor periodically to pick rocks off the garden

There is a lot to be said for working outdoors and seeing the impact of your labors change the landscape everyday.  Go for it Mason.

Rookie Farmer beginning year 3

So I am not sure how to change the title of 57 year old Rookie Farmer when I will turn 60 this October and I am a two season veteran.  But I will keep the name so that everyone can find my posts.

The biggest news from the winter is that Farmer Josh has left for Washington State and Nick Miller is my new farmer.  I will provide more information on Nick as the Spring advances but he brings a lot of knowledge and as much as we will miss Josh I am confident that Mountainside will not miss a beat.

All winter Valinda and Nick have been visiting our after school programs as part of Harvest Club with stunning success.  More than 40 after-schoolers signed up at Rachel Carson and Kensington Parkwood and we are developing a legion of engaged students and parents.  The kids have been planting seedlings, making pesto, and learning healthy eating habits.  All during a dormant growing season. As March advances to April the kids will begin to visit Mountainside and the growing season kicks into high gear

This Monday I am purchasing a Roto-Tiller to mount on the back of my tractor and we will till the entire acre garden area.  Cover crop will be planted and we will re-till in April to mix in the organic plant material as well as compost.  Nick and I have agreed to start modestly this Spring and we will focus exclusively on the greenhouse and garden area.  No mushrooms until everything else is under control.  Josh and I were guilty of over extending ourselves last year and we had as many failures as successes.  Once we have the garden under control and we can find more help we will look to expand.

Old man Winter sent and unwelcomed reminder that March is still within his grasp, and Nick spent all of Friday protecting our seedlings in the greenhouse and brought as many trays into the office as would fit.  Still... it looks like an early Spring and we should have a jump on the growing season.

Teaching is as much a focus as growing at Mountainside and we hope to fill 4 weeks of harvest camp this summer.  With over 250 kids participating in the harvest club program this winter we have already

cultivated a healthy following.  We will see.