Springing to Life on the Farm
- Teresa Derrick-Mills
- Mar 30
- 2 min read
Some parts of spring at the farm look the same as around your neighborhood (if you are in the mid-Atlantic area in late March). We look forward to seeing the tulip leaves poke out of the ground, the daffodils in bloom, and the forsythia sending their beams of sunshine. We hope the deer won't nibble on all the hyacinth before deciding they don't like them. And, we start to see more and more birds on treetops and hear them celebrating the warmth of the season and industriously settling in to their new or reunited homes.
Springing to Life Outside at Chocolates and Tomatoes Farm
Other signs of spring are more farm-specific. Seedlings are emerging in stages. Nearly all of them begin in the basement when snow is still on the ground. The hardier ones graduate to the high tunnel and then under the row cover in the field as soon as the ground is workable but while the chill is still in the air.
The more tender plants stay in the basement until we have more moderate daytime temperatures. They emerge during the day to soak up the sun and go back to the basement at night.
If you are driving by, you might notice the growing mountain of cow poo. Why is that a sign of spring? During the winter, the poo freezes and so it is quite difficult to shovel it and move it. Softening, and therefore more portable poo, is a sign of spring. And then there are the orchard trees which begin blooming in waves telling us which ones to expect fruit on first. They look much like nonfruiting trees, but in our case, they are inside the fence. We are excited to see what they produce this year now that we finally have them protected from the deer.
Springing to Life Inside Chocolates and Tomatoes Farm
We are also going full steam ahead on chocolate production at this time of the year. We are checking in with the bunnies and chicks to see what chocolate treats will shape up to look like this year! Here is a sneak peak of what is coming soon.
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