Baby (plants), it's cold outside

Recently we all held our breath on Feb. 2, Ground Hog Day 

waiting to hear our fate. It was good news from 2,608 miles away 

when Punxsutawney Phil, the "weather psychic" did not see his shadow 

which means an early spring! 

Did you know that this was the 127th Groundhog Club event?

AP Photo by Keith Srakocic of Groundhog Club Co-handler
and Punxsutawney Phil on Feb. 2, 2013 

But even as we look ahead to spring 

and enjoy the recent sunny days, it is still very cold at the farm. 

So we continue in our winter farm mode—working and overseeing 

things at both farm locations, knowing that some plants will grow better than others.

 

The garlic at Imagery farm seems to be doing well 

while the onions are struggling a bit more.

garlic beds

onion beds

Bok choy, broccoli and collards are holding their own. 

"The hardiness of plants describes their ability 

to survive adverse growing conditions. 

A plant's ability to tolerate cold, heat, drought, flooding or wind 

are typically considered measurements of hardiness.

Winter-hardy plants grow during the winter, or at least remain healthy and dormant. 

Apart from the obvious evergreens, these include many cultivated plants, 

including some cabbage and broccoli, and all kinds of carrot."

bok choy

calabresse broccoli is the most common variety
tips on how to grow it

collards

carrot photo by Jerry James Stone

All of the plants require careful attention,

so we are out at the farm often and

much of the tending needs to be done by hand.

"Some plants produce special hormones that 

keeps them from freezing and these plants have a lower hardiness rating 

(meaning they can survive colder weather) 

than plants who produce less of this hormone." 

One plant hormone in particular that helps 

keep them from freezing is "Abscistic Acid."

garlic must have the abscistic acid hormone

Wondering about your plants' "hardiness?" 

Here's the Hardiness Rating from USDA planting zone map.  

And here are tips on protecting plants from the cold 

including building a greenhouse and the importance of mulch.

greenhouse and mulched beds
behind  "the fig"

 The cold weather does not deter us from doing our work. 

Encouraging our labors are other natural harbingers of spring at the farm

 closer to us than the 2608 miles that separate us from groundhog Phil.

we think a first year American Robin

still no sightings of our resident Owl
but it's too early in the day!

While the Insectary may not now be as lush as it soon will be, 

the hardier plants that contribute to a healthy farm 

still surround and assist us.

Insectary in the summer

Insectary in December

bit of color at Insectary in January

What's hardy in your garden these days?

How do you protect your plants during the winter?

And do you have any signs of spring yet to cheer you on as you work?

Under cover crops?

While we plant vegetables that will inspire the chefs this winter, 

part of the seasonal plan for our farm is planting cover crops. 

"Planting a cover crop brings many benefits. It can improve the soil, prevent erosion, enhance drainage, inhibit weeds and attract beneficial insects,"

 which makes this practice a significant part of our biodynamic farming. 

"Cover cropping and crop rotations are two organic gardening practices 

that can protect and rejuvenate soils, while fostering 

balanced, biological diverse garden ecosystems."

fava beans planted behind the fig

Mustard is another good cover crop-hard to see,
but there are small green bits of mustard starting to grow

Growing Your Greens is the most watched gardening show on YouTube. 

In this episode, John Kuhler demonstrates "harvesting" mature fava bean plants, 

not to eat them (although you can do that), but to either cut them down 

or plow them under to access the rich nitrogen this cover plant 

brings to the soil. Fava beans are "nitrogen fixing" plants 

which pull nitrogen from the air and put it into the soil. 

In a few months, we will be doing something similar to this 

at the farm to reap the benefits of the fava beans we are planting now. 

This video gives you a good idea how to do this, even in a small space at home. 

You will get a close-up view of the root nodules that are "nitrogen central" for this plant. 

Our farm project encompasses the garden behind the fig 

(where our farm-to-table all started) and the farm at 

Imagery Estate Winery and we have cover crops at both locations.

fava seeds

fava beans as cover crops

Simultaneous with our work at the farm, we are keeping things 

going behind the fig: In addition to our cover crops, microgreens in the greenhouse 

and the worm bin, we are planning to create an insectary in the back area. 

two varieties of thyme in the greenhouse

new micro greens to plant

the worm bin a few weeks after creating it-
how many worms are in there?

the beginning of the insectary

Matt from Local Landscapers is starting the insectary
with wildflower seeds. He is still deciding what else to plant.

The farm at the fig also includes the raised beds right outside the greenhouse. 

In the summer, herbs overflow here making it easy for the chefs 

to dash outside the kitchen door to pick just what they need. 

Now the raised beds offer quick transport and protected spots 

for some of our fragile starts.

these onions growing in the raised beds

started out small in the greenhouse 

soon there will be onions ready for the kitchen

onions on the grill at the girl & the fig

All the work we do is a part of the cycle of 

farm to table and we keep it going all year long, 

no matter what the season.

farm fyi

photo by Steven Krause 

"It's a farm, so all our plans may not mean much," 

John reminds us frequently. 

We can do our research and plan and yet we know 

that it is mostly up to Mother Nature 

what the harvest at the farm will yield. 

We pay attention to what nature tells us, 

 to learn how to best contribute to creating an abundant farm. 

photo by Steven Krause

We are lucky to have rich fertile soil at the Imagery Estate Vineyard farm. 

One way to tell if it is a good soil is to grab some dirt
and ball it up – then quickly open your hand.
It should break up easily. And, the dirt should
brush off your hand without sticking too much.  

Of course, if you find those friendly earthworms in the dirt, 

then you know you've got "the good stuff." 

Loam soil like ours – a combination of sand, clay and silt 
in relatively equal amounts – is considered best for planting. 

It is ideal for most plants because it holds plenty of moisture 

but also drains well so that sufficient air can reach the roots.

We even pay attention to which way the winds blow. 

Since that is usually west to east, 

we are keeping the lemon verbena bushes 

which act as a natural wind barrier. 

So we worked around these in November and December
as we prepared the winter garden. 

The fragrant lemon verbena also inspired 
the creation of lemon verbena pot de creme.

photo by Steven Krause

The hyssop plants that were interspersed in this area here help out too. 

An extension of our biodynamic insectary concept, 

the blue blossoms and scent of the hyssop 

attracts bees, hoverflies, and butterflies. 

This herb works hard for us controlling pests 

and encouraging pollination without the use of unnatural methods.

This winter we are experimenting with companion plants,
a new way of planting for us that we hope 
will really enhance our harvest. 

It's not about getting more or bigger plants, 
but ones that taste better. We will alternate radish and mustard greens
in a row and see if the radishes grow differently
than in the rows where they are planted alone. 

The mustard greens act as a buffer for pests that can harm the radishes. 

we had radishes last well into November this year. 

What's interesting is that the mustard greens both 
repel and attract insects – keeping some away 

but attracting others that might have attacked the radishes.

It is easier to take out some of the mustard leaves 
that are sacrificed, leaving others untouched. 

photo by Steven Krause

And all this activity goes on around the radishes which are protected, 
ensuring that they make it to the table 
sweet, peppery and perfect to enjoy.

mixed seasonal radishes, anchovy butter and grey sea salt at the girl & the fig 

The farm blog will chronicle how the companion plants are doing, 
so continue to follow here to see how it grows.
Let us know what you think of the blog, ask a farming question
or tell us how your gardening is going.
And we especially want to know 
if you enjoy something at one of the restaurants
 that we've grown at the farm.