SNOW ?

We woke up to snow this morning - actually a continuation of the white stuff that came down most of the day yesterday! Crazy Vermont weather - from 70s to 30s in a flash!

Everything in the field seems fine - although we just hope the weight of the snow does not crush any of the low tunnels - or any of the newly formed leaves of the uncovered plants. But this is Vermont, where both people and plants need to be hardy and adaptable!

Thank You Harold and Mary

Radical Roots Farm is located on land owned by Harold Billings and Mary Ashcroft. Thanks to their willingness to take a chance on these new farmers, we are able to grow on some of the most amazing agricultural land in the state.

Thank you Harold and Mary - for your generosity, your support, and your friendship.

ARTICHOKES

California has nothing on Rutland Vermont!

Once again we are growing artichokes - and the plants are just about ready to be put in the ground. Last year, we had an incredible harvest - surprising ourselves and just about everyone else with the gorgeous plentiful globes from these prolific plants!
Artichokes are technically biennial - so the challenge is to trick the plants into thinking they have gone through a summer (in the greenhouse) and a winter (outside at 50 degrees for 8-10 days) so when Vermont summer arrives, they will believe they are in their second year and start producing. No guarantees - but we hope to have enough to sell at Farmers Market this year. Stay tuned!

The SUN is Back

After many days of much needed rain, mixed with chilly temps and high winds, today is filled with wonderful spring sunshine! Time to take the covers off of the tunnels and let everything enjoy the fresh air and sunshine!

Yesterday we finally got our first planting of early red potatoes in the ground. Not as early as we had hoped, but those baby reds will be here soon enough!

Black Gold

Thank you Marilyn and Zoe Brander for delivering truck loads of your wonderful sheep manure!

Tractor Day

With the sun shining, Dennis turned under the winter rye in the last 3 plots - getting us ready for May 1st when many more plants will be put in the ground. While it was sad to see the bright green of the winter rye disappear, it is a beautiful sight to see all of that fertile brown soil just waiting to nourish this season's crops.

We continue to be in awe of the richness of this river bottom soil and our good fortune to be able to nurture and use this land.

Even Carol took a spin on the tractor - first time ever - although after a few minutes of moving at 3 mph, it was time to hop off and let Dennis take over. Seeding, planting and even weeding are more my style!

The tractor belongs to Kevin and Carla Peck, who generously allow us to use it when needed. Kevin and Carla, along with their children, live just down the road from Radical Roots Farm, where they raise veggies, chickens, and pigs. They are incredibly supportive and kind neighbors and we thank them for their continued generosity.

Sometimes Things Don't Work Out as Planned

OK - so maybe we jumped the gun. Those peas we planted on March 22d never made it through the bitter cold night of March 26th. We gave them some time, hoping they would eventually pop, but today Dennis dug around and found nothing but rotting peas in the ground. Oh well - our first "crop failure" of the season. Lesson learned - and luckily it is not too late to reseed. Also, we had started some of last year's pea seeds in the greenhouse and the ones that germinated (about 50%) grew strong and healthy and just the other day we transplanted those into the ground. So we will have "some" early peas, but since Dennis just reseeded today, we will certainly NOT be the first to have peas at market this year. Such is the life of new farmers.....

Starting Early

Thanks to the warm weather, incredibly well-drained soil, and all sorts of season-extension techniques, we have begun transplanting many of our cold-hardy plants in the ground.



Kale growing inside a low tunnel

If you visit us on Creek Road (please do!), you will see more white than green. That is because we are covering just about everything we grow this spring with row covers - perfect for keeping plants warm during the cool nights as well as keeping those pesky bugs at bay all season long. They also make it more difficult for the infamous groundhog to snack on our precious babies!

Can you tell what is holding down those row covers? Pellet Bags! We have been heating our home with a pellet stove for two years and have been wondering what we would do with all of those sturdy plastic bags we have been saving. Thanks to Den's creative Yankee ingenuity, we are now filling each one with a few shovelfuls of soil and using them as cover weights. Thank you Chris Wetherby for sharing your stash of bags with us!






Carol planting scallions



So far this is what we have in the ground:
Kale - Lacinato and Red Russian
Broccoli - Arcadia and Blue Wind
Cauliflower - White and Purple
Beet greens and early beets
Spinach
Swiss Chard
Peas
Carrots
Garlic
Baby Leeks
Red cabbage
Scallions and early onions
Red Cabbage
And more to come.....