New website. New pictures. Dig it.

Rootbottomfarm.com is updated and all new. Check it out. 

Stay away showers, we just want May flowers....May Week 1

The torrential rains in the forecast held out and we were spared from the crazy weather that ripped through the South this week. The asparagus has grown to over six feet tall in one week! It has literally grown feet over night. The kale, collards, lettuce, Swiss chard and beet transplants started in the greenhouse were established in the lower field. The strawberries are making a full appearance and some berries will be ready this upcoming week. Today, we put row cover over the quickly ripening strawberries to protect our crop from hungry birds. We also planted three varieties of potatoes and set up sprinklers and drip tape around the property. Morgan direct seeded another wave of carrots, beets and lettuce. He is seeding lettuce every two weeks to create a constant lettuce supply this season.

This week we went to our first farmer's market. We are very excited to be permanent vendors for the Madison County Farmers & Artisuns Market at Mars Hill University every Saturday from 9am-1pm.

This week we brought microgreens, wild onions, fresh herbs, flowers and plant starts. You can also enjoy Root Bottom Farm produce at the West Asheville Tailgate Market on Haywood Rd every Tuesday from 3:30-6:30pm.

On the flower side of things, Kathleen started her first “Flower Thursdays” where she works a half day every Thursday helping me with planning, building and planting perennial flowers. This week we drew out all of the gardens on graph paper (1'=1 square) in preparation for the final flower count to be seeded next week. I have designed warm gardens (reds, yellows, oranges) and cool gardens (purples, blues, whites), a wild flower garden and a garden inspired by my friend, Jen, that will have only have white varieties of flowers. I have repaired old existing beds to create better flow around the cabin and intern house. We are also creating new beds that take out difficult areas I hate to mow. Any thing to reduce my two hours of mowing a week is fine with me!

 First market of the season. We are at Mars Hill University every Saturday from 9am-1pm. 

You can also come see us in West Asheville every Tuesday from 3:30-6:30

 5' intern and the magic growing asparagus

 Aesa

 Moving "Yuns" and her chicken tractor for the day

 Transplants in the greenhouse waiting to be planted in the field

 Strawberries

 At the beginning of the week they were green, one week later we have red ones.

 Grapes.

 Morgan and the microgreens.

 Morning meeting in the barn.

 Rosa likes to help weed the raspberries.

 Wild onion harvest

 Spreading compost for the transplants in the lower field

 Kale yeah!

 Lettuce transplants

 My Mason jar pick of the week. Wildflowers, tulips and daffodils.

 Supplies for the new greenhouse

     Melons, squash, cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes are in line next to be transplanted.

Spreading compost for the early morning potato planting

 Laying them out

Blue Adirondack

Lower strawberry bed is covered. We don't want to share our fruit with those hungry birds!

Seeding & Weeding. April Week 4.

Root Bottom Farm is staying busy: seeding and weeding. We planted 65 raspberries to replace the ones that died in the initial 2013 planting. The strawberries are going strong and the first sign of fruit has appeared. The starts in the greenhouse are almost ready to transplant in the fields. The microgreens are looking good and we are excited to start delivering to restaurants for the 2014 season. This Saturday is our first Madison County Farmers & Artisun Market in Mars Hill from 9-1.

On the flower side of things: The second wave of tulips and daffodils are in full bloom. I finished reclaiming all the existing beds, mulched the red hot pokers around the house and filled in missing dirt and leveled the beds. Kathleen seeded all the annual flowers (300 plants total). We still have 13 varieties of sunflowers to direct seed in the fields and all of the perennials to seed in trays. This week, I will measure and graph out all of the new perennial beds and finish designing. Over the next few weeks, I will build and design 4 large perennial flower gardens and fill in holes in the existing 10 beds.

In other news, we have had a random chicken find her way to the farm. She was badly injured and is currently being pushed around the property in her own personal chicken tractor. We named her “Yuns”. We went out of town for the weekend and were so excited to be able to leave the farm in Kathleen's hands. She opened and closed the farm, took care of the watering and seeded microgreens. She even weeded the rest of the asparagus! When we left the farm, the asparagus was barely ankle high...and now it's mid-thigh high! Magic.

 Planting raspberries.

 Kathleen prepping the raspberry area.

 All the holes are now filled in from what we lost last year.

 Farmer Decker checking out the little ones.

 The first seedlings are about ready to be replanted.

 Microgreens are right on track.

 Currently blooming.

  

Annual flowers are seeded.

 Thigh-high asparagus.

 Before (post weeding) and After

 After the stones, I filled in dirt and leveled the beds.

 Dandelion invasion.

 Early morning light and weeded garlic.

 Kathleen and some tiny unwanted guests.

 

 Pathway to one of my favorite (and deepest) spots on our creek.

Reclaim. Reorganize. Grow. April Week 3

Welcome to the farm, Kathleen :) The first week as an intern included helping to weed the garlic by hand (about 3 days), start the microgreen operation (ready to eat at our first farmer's markets coming up in May), make dandelion wine, seed tomatoes, basil and cucumbers and prep for winter squash, summer squash, cut flowers and a second wave of peppers and eggplant. Morgan also direct seeded spinach, peas, and more lettuce. At the beginning of the week, we saw two hard frost days and we had to cover and protect the strawberries.

On the flower side of things, old beds are being reclaimed, reimagined and redesigned. The perennial herb garden was remapped and re-planned to fill in holes and start new plants.

Property projects include repairing two driveways with gravel, building four parking spots along the road for guests and building a new driveway for the intern house. A total of 10 tons of gravel was shoveled, spread and poured on this property this week. Also, we are beginning the process of doubling our storage and counter top space in the kitchen after a crucial thrift find.

 14 Cups = 2 Gallons Dandelion wine (in 3 months)

 

 

 Spring Farm

 New wildflowers beds in the original compost pile. Liquid gold soil.

 

Creek rock and reclaiming old beds in front of the cabin. 

Filled in the low spots in front of the porch steps that can stay wet with gravel.

 Red hot poker bed that came with the property. Six beds done, four more to go.

 

Junk on the left. Discovering holes to be filled in with new life.

 New parking spots along the road.

 

Soon to be our new kitchen. Thanks Habitat for Humanity. 

A little sandpaper and paint, our kitchen doubles in size.

Found these old classics cleaning under the porch.

We went for a hike behind the farm on Sunday and found wild onions, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries. Can't wait to get back up there this Summer.