I may be a bit early in saying this, but it looks like spring has sprung at 5R Farm. It’s been just over a week since the last of the 18 inches of snow we got melted, and signs of spring are everywhere. I made the rounds of the farm today, and I was pleased to see flowers, fruits, and veggies all showing signs of life. One of my favorite birds that we see regularly at the farm is the spotted towhee. We have a pair that made their nest in our weeping cherry tree last year, and now instead of two spotted towhee we have four. I often see them flying back and forth from the weeping cherry to Lil’ Red Rooster’s food dish on the back porch, delighting me with their beautiful rufous, black, and white coloration and their striking red eyes.
Today we finally got around to planting the plum trees we started from seed last year and that spent the winter in the greenhouse. We planted them near the beehive to provide them with a nearby source of pollen and nectar and also to provide them with some protection from the wind. On these sunny days when it gets to 50 degrees or so, there is usually quite a bit of activity outside the beehive. When it gets a bit warmer I’ll do a beehive inspection and see how much honey the bees have left from the winter stores that we left them and make sure they have enough to get them through until mid-April when the peak nectar flow season begins. I’m hoping that they still have plenty of honey left, and we’ll be able to harvest a bit more in a couple of months.
I’ve been starting seeds in the greenhouse over the last couple of weeks. Lettuce, leeks, onions, and pepper seeds have been planted, and there’s much more to be planted over the next several weeks. I’m very excited for garden season this year since my handy husband has been busy building me several things to make my gardening chores easier, but I’ll wait to tell you about that until the photo shoot is complete!