Before the plotting, I’m still busy seeding out our squash, especially our favorite, Hopi Pale Grey. Will’s whining for pumpkin pie made from it, so we’ll see…
Even though we’ll still be raising a bunch of seeds to help Lynn and Jesse, the folks who will be taking over our seed business, we plan on having smaller gardens this year. Now, when I say “smaller” I don’t mean like 50′ x 50′. More like 3 acres instead of 5. It might not sound smaller to most of you, but to us, it’s a huge difference. I’ve been going through my seed bank, deciding what I need to plant plus what I want to plant. That’s a big difference! I’m getting a little low on sweet corn due to our crop failures this past fall because of all the rain. So I’m going big there. Same with peppers for the same reason.
Then there are a few new ones I simply must try, Ute Indian Squash, several different types of kale, some tomatillos I’ve grown in the past but didn’t have room for last year. You know, the “boy that’s cool” stuff. I’m getting excited. Especially when I went to the store and took a look at what produce is selling for, not to mention canned fruits and vegetables. Holy cow! I see it only going to get worse. I can’t fix the world’s troubles, nor even those in Minnesota. I can plant more. It helps keep us sane.
Our weather’s been pretty constant. Lows in the negative teens to twenties and highs like one degree F. Not much snow, but the wind sure feels cold. Will and I moved the cows back out to the cow yard yesterday as other than the cold, the weather is not forecast to do anything uncomfortable for them. And they have access to a dozen big round bales out there to eat or stand behind as windbreaks. They like it a lot. They weren’t using the barn at all, even though the door is always open for them.
Think spring, especially those of you impacted by the nasty ice storm that hit a lot of the country. It will come and all this nasty stuff will just be an unhappy memory. Hang in there! — Jackie
