Although the exceptionally cold, dry April was useless for plant growth, it’s been a god-send to us, as moving 22 tons of compost in dry weather was remarkably simple! The growing medium we chose was a loam/compost mix; the loam gives the beds some body, and the compost provides texture & nutrients.
We’ve made 8 and a half beds in the PYO area, with another six up the top. We’ve also planted 2 beds of mixed foliage shrubs, a bed of hydrangeas and a small bed of roses, which we are hoping to be able to cut from this year.
The perennials and annuals are beginning to fill out slowly, and hopefully once we get some actual warmth, they will really take off.
We’ve had a few days open; although we don’t have much to sell yet, it’s been great to meet lots of locals and visitors and talk about our plans. The pick-your-own is generating a lot of excitement!
The top field is getting wild, but that’s fine, as we want to encourage the wildflowers this year and see what appears. The wild clary sage is everywhere, and will be a huge hit with insect life.hopefully once we’ve got this stormy week out of the way, we will get some settled weather and we’ll see what invertebrates we can find.
All in all, it’s been a very positive start, and it’s exciting to try to imagine what it will look like in midsummer!