That looks for all the world like we set out row after row of blades of grass across the field, but I swear, they'll be fat juicy sweet onions by May.

We finally got the spring planting underway last week, finishing up with the last of those ten thousand onion plants this morning before more rain arrives tomorrow.  Peas and scallions, carrots, beets, and radishes, and a slew of spring greens are all in the ground as well, and should be sprouting up any day now.  And thankfully, we were able to do most of our soil prep the "easy" way with the machinery, not hoes and rakes ;)

It's high time.  It's past time.  The trees in the woods are starting to bud out and bloom.

Gotta get planting.  Our goal this week is to get the soil worked up and get the 10,000 onion plants in the ground.
 
This would be the easy way to get the soil prep done:

But it's still too wet.  This would be my second choice.

Still too wet for that, too.  And there's still more rain in the forecast.  But thankfully, no snow.

And so we might end up doing it the hard way.  With hoes and rakes and the like.  Definitely not the preferred method, but lucky for you, I'm a somewhat impatient farmer, and I want those spring peas and sweet onions just as much as you do.

This is my husband's first week as a full-time farmer.  Should be a nice introduction, right?  In the meantime, CSA memberships are still available for the 2013 season.  And hey, did you know we're on Facebook now?  There is absolutely no way to say this without sounding pathetic, but won't you be my friend?  Check it out, and I'll let you all know whether or not we can still walk upright by the end of the week, after our medieval-style soil preparations and onion-planting bonanza.

CSA memberships are still available for the 2013 season.  While you could wait until April to get your membership in, we really love to see those sign-ups arrive now, in February and March.  It takes quite a bit of money to get all of your spring and summer crops growing.  The portion of our budget that's spent on seeds is only a tiny part of it all.  We purchase a small mountain of soil amendments, compost, fertilizers (the organic sorts are anything but cheap).  There are always tools and machinery in need of repair before we get too busy; flats and trays and row covers that have worn out and must be replaced; packaging supplies that need to be purchased; irrigation and fencing components that have worn out and have to be replaced.  It adds up at an alarming rate.  And while we sell year-round, the income slows down to a trickle in February.

This is why we run a CSA.  I could borrow money from banks.  I'd much rather not.  I view each of your CSA memberships as a micro-loan.  I'm borrowing small amounts of money from you to finance the farm, and intend to pay you back - plus 5-10% extra - in produce.  I sit down to create a budget for the farm each winter, and then trive to take in enough CSA memberships to cover our anticipated farm expenses.  Balanced against what we earn through sales at other venues, it's a system that has always worked very well to keep the farm going year-round without incurring any debt.

But at the moment, we're nowhere close to meeting the goal of signing on enough CSA members to cover those expenses.  So if you've been thinking about a new membership this year, or your renewal check has been on the back burner, we'd love it if you could get those memberships to us in the next month.  Know anyone who might be interested?  Forward this to them!  If you have any questions about how the CSA program works, please don't hesitate to contact me.  If you've already sent in your membership or renewal for the year, thank you very much!

Our local groundhog in Raleigh saw his shadow on Saturday, which supposedly means six more weeks of winter.  I don't put much faith in the ability of rodents to do more than eat their unearned share of my vegetables, but I hope not.  The cold will come or it won't.  What I really start hoping for now is dry weather.  My planting calendar starts haunting a certain corner of my head round the clock.  Trays of spring-crop seedlings are increasing by the day in the greenhouse, with flats of more tender seedlings sprouting indoors under lights.  We want it dry enough to get out there are start preparing the ground for spring planting.  I can create warmer micro-climates with row covers and low tunnels for early spring sowings, but I can't do anything with fields of mud, and those flats of seedlings won't hold forever.

In the meantime, we're trying to stretch the field-holding cability of the over-wintered crops through this crazy back-and-forth winter weather.  It doesn't do any of the plants any good to see sub-freezing weather one day, and 75 degrees the next; not to mention I'm getting a little tired of flipping row covers on and off in an attempt to create more stable temperatures.  We are out of beets and cauliflower until the spring crops are ready (c'mon, dry weather, so I can plant more for you!).  I made 3 or 4 plantings of winter broccoli last summer - we've harvested the main larger crowns from all of these.  The broccoli plants should continue to produce secondary florets for a little while longer, but pound for pound, there may not be as much each week as I've had the past few months.  Some of the cabbages are starting to split and crack, so if you're in the mood for cabbages, best to get yours in the next few weeks, otherwise it's likely all chicken food.  And while the ferny fennel tops have been burned out by the cold, the bulbs are still OK.  I don't know exactly how long the bulbs will hold in the ground while their tops are dying back, but I wouldn't expect them to last too much longer.  I had quite a bit of fennel still out there, the trimmed bulbs are now $2 each or 2 for $3.

I do still have seemingly endless greens (no matter what the winter weather does, there's always kale and collards), as well as what feels like a never-ending supply of carrots.  Small last late-winter harvests of baby turnips, dill and tatsoi coming out of the greenhouse.  And here's another good reason to eat your greens and carrots - they might just make you happier!