Strawberries have made their first appearance. In the first week, it starts slow. A pint or so a day. Then it increases exponentially for about a month and we start picking every day. We harvested about 7 lbs of strawberries the first week...and 6.5 lbs just on Sunday morning! When I was a little girl growing up on our farm in VA, I loved eating strawberries from our little patch. I also loved all things "Strawberry Shortcake" and my Mom painted strawberries on my dresser and bed frame. Morgan's PopPop was known for his strawberries in New Jersey and his family members have shared fond memories of picking strawberries with him. We love having fresh berries on our farm. This year, I will also be producing a series of jams from our harvest. Coming soon: Root Bottom strawberry, blackberry, mixed berry and strawberry jalapeno jams.
We went to our first week of markets and started our ESA deliveries. Potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, lettuce, beets, carrots, peas, radishes, turnips, scallions, cooking greens, and broccoli are planted. This week we will plant sunflowers, corn, peppers, beans, basil and cucumber starts. The annual flowers are seeded and this week, we will seed over 800 perennial flowers for around the yard. I have built three raised flower gardens this Spring. I only have one more (huge) flower garden to build and work on for the rest of the summer to cover up our septic boxes. The herb garden is weeded and being doubled this year. The property is looking awesome these days...and Morgan is pretty stoked about it.
We had six current AT Thru Hikers come stay with us for a few days. I picked them up in TN and they enjoyed two days of rest and a little work on the farm before I dropped them back off on their journey. This is the second time we have done it and it is so fun. By no means do we want to become an AT hostel, but once a season is awesome. With 12 extra hands we moved the greenhouse, put new plastic on it, worked on filling raised flower beds, worked on rock walls around new gardens, thinned beets and harvested microgreens. This week we also had our first weekly volunteers, Leigh and Tyler. You guys rock! If you know anyone looking to trade half days for veggies, let us know. We would love to have you!
 |
| Many hands make light work. |
The next big project is also underway. Year
4 and we finally get to work on the "Garlic Pearl," our old tobacco
barn. Our friend John is renovating the front. We were scrambling on the
roof a few days ago (redid nails, screws and filled holes with tar).
Sealing it next week. Building flower boxes in front, reinforcing the back wall AND we are getting a
barn quilt installed from the Madison County Barn Alliance!!!
 |
| Clearing off the roof so we could seal it. |
We continue to feel lucky to be in such a great place. Marshall is often called "Magic Town"and for good reason. It is a "mile long, a block wide and full of heck" as the old saying goes. It is home to some pretty amazing folks we call friends. We celebrated our third wedding anniversary and soaked in the local natural hot springs. I went to a Sisters of Marshall Potluck, we had wood fired pizza at the first pizza night of the season at our friend's Smoke Signals Bakery, I had a successful photography show opening in downtown Marshall and last night we went to a square dance at a friend's farm down the road. Love Life..
 |
| Three years of marriage and we still like to work together everyday :) |
 |
| Greenhouse babes |
 |
| Young microgreens |
 |
| Kale |
 |
| Sweet pea shoots ready for harvest |
 |
| Scallions |
 |
| Our first market we had: scallions, salad Burnette, thyme, winter savory, dried gourds, sunflower microgreens, Morgan's mix and pea shoots. |
 |
| The new Sarah Mix! Sweet pea shoots, kale and bok choy |
 |
| Lower strawberry patch. Weeded. |
 |
| Morgan flame weeding the garlic. A great way to kill young weeds. |
 |
| Justin "giving the garlic some ocean". We don't spray anything on Root Bottom Farm. Not even organic sprays. We do, however, fertilize with liquid fish emulsion. It stinks....but the plants love it! |
 |
| Tomato starts going in the new greenhouse |
 |
| Annual flowers are seeded |
 |
| Cardboard on the blackberries for weed control |
 |
| Cutting seed potatoes for planting |
 |
| Potato planting supplies |
 |
| Dried gourds from last season |
 |
| Good morning, farm. |
 |
| We have found some giant worms this year! |
 |
| Still had some early frosts |
 |
| Where the worms go...Morgan's creek catch one afternoon |
 |
| Having a bad day? Is it a mouse trap on your elbow kind of a day? |
 |
| There is no Root Bottom Farm uniform....but... |
 |
| Dried flowers from last season. |
 |
| Working on connecting it all. There will be a walkway between the two gardens. This started as two small patches of plants that came with the house. Now it is three large planting areas. The one around the telephone pole is going to be ALL yellow flowers. |
 |
| Chives |
 |
| New raised bed along the road |
 |
| Wild violets |
 |
| Columbine |
 |
| Upper garden |
 |
| Extended the walkway across the driveway and to the parking area. New raised bed to the right. |
 |
| Happy Mom Day to all the great Moms I know :) #masonjaroftheweek |
 |
| The first red hot poker makes an appearance. In two weeks, there will be thousands. |
 |
| Giant alliums |
 |
| chamomile |
 |
| Azaleas |
 |
| Pyrethrum painted daisy |
 |
| Anemone | |
