It feels like the end of May around here. The flowers on the Ceanothus in front of our house, which is usually just starting to bloom at this time, have largely faded and been scattered onto our walkways and yard. I can’t remember a winter where I have been in shirt-sleeves more often.
As strange as it feels, it has made getting work done here on the farm go as smoothly as it possibly could. We’ve been able to stick to our planting schedule without any weather related delays. We are in the process of mowing and incorporating the last blocks of over-wintered cover-crops and working fields up into beds. It greatly reduces the stress level when you don’t have to worry about having ground ready to plant into during a wet spring.
The crops we have planted are growing much faster than they normally would at this time of year. About three weeks ago we planted a large block of summer squashes on a warm, South-facing slope here at our home ranch. Already they have quadrupled in size, and should be in bloom in another week or so.
Last week we transplanted peppers and basil into our high-tunnels and yesterday the first round of tomatoes went in them as well. This year we took the time to move most of the tomato plants up into larger sized trays (72 count) before transplanting, so the plants are big and beautiful. If it stays as warm as they say it will—we are expecting record highs by the end of the week—we could have tomatoes earlier than ever.
Enjoy the warm weather!
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