The cut flowers are moving from greenhouse to field now, and some of them have picked up aphids. Not a big deal, in keeping with our philosophy of low-impact farming, we just ordered 9000 native ladybugs to be scattered along the infected rows. In a short time, the aphids will be pretty much eradicated, and the next generation of beetles will be ready to hatch. Through the growing season, we may need another application in the vegetable fields, too.
The van is loaded with herb bowls for an early morning delivery tomorrow to Whole Foods in East Liberty, PA. Each bowl has oregano, rosemary, parsley, mint, lavender, sage and thyme. The van smells wonderful! These bowls can be easily maintained throughout the season on your patio or deck so you’ll have freshly seasoned sauces and dishes all summer long!
This spring has been one to remember–so cold and wet that field crops are weeks behind. We’ve been able to make some small progress, preparing beds and laying plastic, and some seeds crops are starting to sprout. Here are some of the 50,000 or so Pennsylvania Simply Sweet onions we are growing this year. Parsley, carrots and some lettuces are sprouting in another field. Locavores take heart–crops are a little behond, but soon your tables will be again filled with a bountiful harvest of local crops!
In addition to the great Pussy Willow branches that we cut and sold this week, there are some other signs of Spring popping up. A walk around the farm shows tulips and daffodils starting to sprout up in the flower gardens, flowerbuds are starting to plump up on the fruit trees, and the naturalized garlic chives were even ready to harvest. One of the items we wanted to check on today was the garlic crop. Did you know that garlic is actually planted in the fall, and develops its root system over winter. Today we saw that almost all of the garlic crop is sprouted and growing – just as you see here. In the greenhouses is a similar sight – little onion plants are sprouting and growing as far as the eye can see. The pansy pots are growing by leaps and bounds, with some blossoms starting to appear. And, the little Tatsoi plants are growing. Soon, they will be ready to sell to our favorite restaurants through Penn’s Corner Alliance.
Aaahhhh, Spring is in the air! OK, maybe not outside since we just got 8 to 10 inches of snow this week, but INSIDE the greenhouse is a different story. Seeds are sprouting everywhere, pansies are growing like crazy, microgreens and baby lettuces are ready to harvest. Here’s a glimpse at what’s in the greenhouse right now. And, yes, before you ask, the cherry tomato is real!
Ever heard of it? Hong Vit is a Japanese radish grown for its leaves. It has a deep purple stem and the leaves are spicy and so delicious. We harvest them as microgreens, not as large plants now that it is winter. They are loaded with nurients since they are so young and vigorous. 
This past weekend, our littlest family member helped plant our colorful Pansy Pots. These will be ready for sale in March, just the right way to welcome SPRING!
