AND THE SEEDS WIN THE BATTLE AGAINST THE COLD!

After two very unseasonably cold weeks, our peas, flax, wheat, and barley have popped up! Through freezing nights and a mid-april snowstorm, the little buggers still knew it was spring. I'm a little concerned that neither type of garbanzo is showing its face yet...but keeping my fingers crossed for my favorite crop!

My farming buddy and I continued with another variety of barley and wheat, some "what-the-hell" green lentils from the Co-op bulk food bin, favas (since my overwintering favas were blasted by last November's sudden drop down to the 20s), and four more varieties of potatoes. Dusty has finally been able to do some proper field prep around the farm, running his harrow all over the place, so things are shaping up at last!

We decided to do some of our bean trials, corn, and winter squash in the lower field where it is wetter and holds soil moisture better. That'll allow us more separation for different varieties (especially corn) and give us a better chance with the dry-farming of the squash. The squash, by the way, fits into our expanded storage crop philosophy of focusing some of our energy upon experiments with growing other storage crops with less inputs.

Oh, and by the way, if any of you haven't grown garbanzo beans before, get a good variety adapted to our climate, and plant a few in a pot, just to see how adorable the little leaves are when they first come out! You'll love them.