No, I am not referring to the current basketball tournaments being played around the country. Our March madness at G2G is cold, wind, and mud. We can escape the cold a bit by working inside the greenhouses, like Jami and her 94-year-old mom Banu did when they helped us to plant seedlings on Tuesday. But last week’s high winds were a bit scary. We weren’t sure our new tunnels could take it. Our Fix-It Team provided a quick fix to the most vulnerable tunnel, and now we must decide how to create more stable wind resistant solutions and move forward.
Mud season is truly the 5th season in Maine, and we are right in the middle of it. We get around on boardwalks, plastic pathways, and straw. The mud slows us down a lot–trying to haul anything with wagons and wheelbarrows is tough. My biggest concern is volunteer safety. By this time next year, we are planning on having all the exposed soil planted with clover or a mowable field mix. No more slipping!
Even with these adverse weather conditions so much is getting done! Yes, we do have a hardy group of volunteers who know how to dress in layers and wear mud boots. Smother tarps are being laid, the herb garden is getting fertilizer, the Fix-It Team hung our new communication boards, and groups worked on transplanting in an assembly line fashion. The youngest member of one of our volunteer groups from this week is five. Ninety-four to five years old–an amazing range of ages within our volunteer team. Everyone has so much to give; if it’s experience or enthusiasm, it is a pleasure to meet and work with all these caring individuals.
Carol brought her dog Kaylee to the farm this week. Carol thought Kaylee should leave most of the G2G soil on the farm. 🙂
Carrie and I have a passion for this soil that is under our care. We have discovered that planting crimson clover on the outside edges of our squash beds allows the clover to cover and protect the entire plot by the time frost hits. It also acts as a living mulch and eliminates most weeding issues. Here is a photo of the protected plot and Carrie showing off our rich loamy soil. So exciting!
We had a group of volunteers from Proctor Academy on Friday. They did not have mud boots, but we still found plenty for them to do. They were so helpful in turning beds in one of our tunnels. Tunnel 8 is now ready for a planting of spring lettuce. Thank you Proctor Academy!
I am ending this weeks’ report with a touch of color to boost our spirits for the cold week ahead.
As always, thanks to everyone who helps to make all this happen.
~ Theda