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?

Matters of great importance

The idiom definition for "sow the seeds:" "When people sow the seeds, 

they start something that will have a much greater impact in the future." 

A clear metaphor from farming that is frequently used 

to illustrate the beginning of things of great importance.

This is true for us at the farm all the time, but most especially now. 

We recently talked about not seeing fall as the end of summer's garden season 

but rather the beginning of a new garden for spring. 

Indeed this is true. Now, as we enjoy the bountiful harvest, we also re-evaluate 

and analyze what grew successfully, what to do again, what to change, 
what to improve—matters of great importance.
This is a time of clean up, regeneration and preparing the farm for a new season.

Our focus right now is on the ground—the soil, 
which is of course the foundation for all we plant. 
As fertile as the farm is, we strive to enrich the soil by paying attention 
to what we plant when and what we can do to assist nature. 

"Soil amendment is added to help with water retention, permeability, walter infiltration, drainage, aeration and structure. The goal is to provide a better environment for roots," leading of course to growing the best plants we can. 

To do its work, an amendment must be thoroughly mixed into the soil. 
If it is merely buried, its effectiveness is reduced and it will interfere 
with water and air movement and ultimately root growth. 

our rich soil amendment is a "complete soil"
which can be planted directly without any further amending

We use a great soil amendment made locally, North County 420 Blend. 

The video link illustrates how "luxuriously fertile" this mix is with its own "fertilizer charge." 

Amending the soil is not the same thing as mulching. 

A mulch is left on the soil surface. Its purpose is to reduce 

evaporation and runoff and inhibit weed growth. 

Mulches also moderate soil temperature, helping to warm soil temperature 

in the spring and cool them in the summer. 

We use mango mulch which boosts nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content. 

Sowing seeds is so much more than simply putting the seeds in the ground. 

We take the time now to clear the beds, amend the soil, plant cover crops to enhance the nutrients even as we are planning what seeds we will be sowing for next spring. 

Matters of great importance.

photo by Jerry James Stone

Executive Chef John Toulze farm to table carrot soup

photo by Steven Krause from
Plats du Jour: the girl & the fig's Journey Through the Seasons in Wine Country