Update week of March 20th; St. Joseph’s day, Greenhouse, Mary garden, rain

We had a tool blessing ceremony and potluck in honor of St. Joseph on March 19th; thanks so much to all who helped to make it a success!

The weather continued warm and dry, so we have got a lot of work done on the farm. Most of the beds are dug and amended, and we have planted cover crops on some of them. Our peas, kale, and broccoli are growing well under their row covers. We pulled down the hoop house and plan to rebuild it with removable end walls, more ventilation, a higher ridgepole, and the ability to be easily uncovered. Our old house started to build up pests after a few years under cover, was too hot on sunny days even in the winter, and was hard to work in due to the low clearance. We are completely rebuilding our Mary garden, and I hope to have some pictures soon. We upgraded the fence to keep rabbits from squeezing through.

However, the weather has now shifted. The spring rains have started; we got an inch yesterday, and there are several more inches in the forecast, accompanied by lower temperatures. I hope all the flowering trees will not be damaged; they are well ahead of schedule this year.