Most years we switch seasons in our greenhouse from winter salad greens to early cherry tomatoes in March, when the outdoor salad crops become available again and the greenhouse has warmed up enough for tomatoes.  Nature threw a wrench and then some in those plans this year.  I've tried to stay somewhat on schedule by continuously potting up the tomatoes to keep them growing on, but it's high time those plants went in the ground.  That unfortunately means a few less greens for a week or two, as we needed to mow down the last of the greenhouse greens to make room for early 'maters, and the field crops haven't quite caught up yet.  Hopefully you all will agree with me that's a small price to pay for those super-sweet Sungolds.  And just for the record, I don't recommend waiting until your tomato plants are three to four feet tall before setting them in the ground!

Asparagus still looks limited this week.  I cut asparagus every morning.  On warm, sunny days the spears grow practically overnight; after chilly, cloudy days there isn't much to speak of.  I never know exactly how much we're going to have available for the week since it's such a weather-dependent crop, but heat + light = asparagus, and hopefully we'll have a little more if this week's forecast holds true.

Still loads of eggs available, lots of baby chard and green onions this week.  The same vegetable can vary quite a bit over the seasons, and the chard is at my favorite stage right now!  We're still cutting from a bed of over-wintered chard, and while the leaves are still a sweet "baby" size, the leaves are thicker, crunchier, and meatier than warm-weather-grown chard.  Check out this week's chard slaw recipe!

The tomato plants and most of the pepper starts are ready!  You can take a look at the varieties we have available over here, along with some tips for getting your tomato beds prepared.  We also have just a few zucchini plants available after setting out our own on the farm (this week only).  Definitely looks warm enough to plant now!

It's market season again!  The Midtown Farmers Market begins this Saturday, on April 19th, and the Raleigh Downtown Farmers Market begins on Wednesday April 30th.  We have oodles of spinach, chard, and other greens, fresh pungent herbs, and some beautiful tall green onions!  Fresh produce in April is usually the result of what was planted out November-ish...and this winter was anything but kind to our over-wintered crops.  It sure does feel like a lot of leafy greens, but given a nasty nearly greens-less winter, I know you all aren't sick to death of the usual never-ending winter diet of kale and spinach.  See what a trick we pulled there? - ha ha!

Eggs are also at the top of their season right now.  Yes, eggs have a season!  Both the quality and quantity of our eggs are currently peaking - see my tip to the right for freezing extra eggs to help get you through leaner egg months.  Our hens are laying more eggs than we have cartons to put them in, so if you have any empty egg cartons hanging around, we'd be grateful if you returned them.  The girls will fill them right back up for you!

We also have a very limited amount of asparagus this week!  I know asparagus is probably at the top of everyone's wish list at the moment - we have just a little bit, not a lot.  The spears have just started to emerge.  As the soil gradually warms up, the spears start to come up faster, and we should have a better supply in the near future.

Is your garden ready?  The tomato plants are ready!  You can take a look at the varieties we have available over here, along with some tips for getting your tomato beds prepared.  It looks like we're in for one last cold snap mid-week.  We'll be shuffling all the plants back into the greenhouse for a few days just to be on the safe side, but it should be warm enough to plant your tomatoes by the week's end.  The peppers and basil are looking good, but will likely be an additional week or two before they're large enough to plant out. 

We don't have a limitless amount of space on the truck for plants when heading to the market (I still haven't figured out how to mount the greenhouse on wheels and hitch it to the truck) so if you see something you must have, or if you are looking for large quantities, drop us a note with your wish list and we'll be sure to bring them to town for you.  We'll try to pack a few extra empty boxes, but if you know you're going to be picking up a number of plants, it'd be helpful if you bring an empty box or crate with you.  If you plan to stop by the farm for plants, please do so during our regular pick-up hours (see the box in the top right corner) or contact me in advance to set up a time if those hours don't work within your schedule.  And last but not least, if gardening isn't your thing, don't worry - I love growing tomatoes, and am happy to grow them for you!

Last not but least, I've been having some migraine-inducing technical problems with Yahoo vs. this free-but-sometimes-pesky listserve manager.  Computer problems are so not up my alley, but I'm  following a recommendation to switch to a gmail account in the hopes that it clears up the problem.  Please contact me at wildonionfarms@gmail.com from now on.  If you reply to this newsletter, all emails will automatically go to that address.  I'll continue to check the old yahoo address for some time, just in case.

Thank you all so much for your business, pretty-please think frost-free thoughts for us over the next few days, and hope to see you at the market!