34. An Early Spring

Contrary to my usual, strangely-accurate seasonal forecast, we have an early spring. I am confident in making that statement (even though this warming trend is technically “fool’s spring”) because nature is giving me her signs: the Sand Hill Cranes are migrating back to their northern spring home, the trees are beginning to bud, I hear frogs at dusk, and red-winged blackbirds have again shown up with their throaty warble, and killdeer skim around the fields. The ground is soggy with snowmelt and some big rains, I see budding green from early spring flowers crowning in the muck, and the field has a mossy hue, rather than a straw one.

Even better, the geese have begun laying, I’ve got carrots from the fall to harvest, and the garlic we planted in October is growing well. Now, I am certain there is the possibility for more frost, and maybe even some snow, but spring has come early this year!

Last year at this time, there was snow on the ground, and a wicked wind coming from the north-west. Yesterday and today, I worked outside creating a makeshift cold house to harden off some of my plants. In the next couple of weeks, I’ll be transplanting those seedlings into beds outside—broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, pak choi, kale, and lettuces, along with direct seeding a couple of different salad mixes, carrots, beets, radishes, and peas—all underneath the protective arms of Agribon. Or at least, that’s the plan.

I still have to get my beds into shape, after all, apply some soil amendments, make sure they are nice and light and fluffy (a tall order for clay soil), and not get overeager with the newly warm weather. I have, as one may remember, been burned before.

But it’s hard to put the brakes on with so much potential bursting forth! The bees are out, the sap has stopped flowing, and the hens have begun to get broody, so baby chicks are also on the table in the next couple of months. This, of course, makes it all the more imperative that I am on the ball and ready for each step of expansion as it arises. For instance, getting poultry netting in place to get a good pasture rotation started, building chicken tractors to house those hens as they are mindfully rotated throughout the property, and building some goose houses, too, so that they can be with their hen friends (since the tractors are not large enough to comfortably house geese—they like a bigger place to bed down, since they don’t roost on a bar as chickens do).

So yeah, it’s spring (and I’m being fooled by all the animals into stating it with confidence), and I am very excited. Now, on to tackle the nasty garage so that someday we can actually use it, rather than have it be a haven for moldering, unpacked boxes from a year ago. Any takers on how many mouse/rat carcasses I find and how many caches of eggs I will discover?