Some Jobs Call for Bigger Shovels

December is typically a month of rest and renewal on the farm.  While that happened to some degree, there were some significant changes around here this year.  The biggest change on the farm was the clearing of a new plot for next year. I didn't explain much about this development last year because it wasn't really resolved until recently. The story began last spring when the crumbling house next door went up for sale. Keen on building a more stable and central land base for the farm, I promptly met with my bank for a mortgage pre-approval. Unfortunately, they were not that impressed with how many carrots we could grow. However, I soon learned that my parents had been joking/dreaming of buying that property if it should ever come up for sale. Well, now they had the chance, and that's just what they did. We were grateful to be able to start using the backyard this summer for vegetable production, but it wasn't until December that the demolition was finally carried out.

Plans for the property in the long term are uncertain, but we at least know that we can fill the space with vegetables in the immediate future.  While we appreciate the additional space this land adds to our farm, the real advantages are that we don't have to travel to this plot, and it is private property, unlike the boulevard we use across the road.  These two factors suddenly make a greenhouse feasible for our operation and that's an exciting possibility to consider.

A greenhouse would help us do a better job of growing crops that appreciate warmer temperatures and longer growing seasons than what our climate has to offer.  It would also offer some crop protection and insurance against hail events which means we could more confidently deliver the vegetables we have committed to growing without the worry of so many random factors. 

Other than planning for greenhouse construction, farm work this month entails a lot of paperwork and number crunching.  It's not photo worthy, but it's the kind of work that helps keep the business on track.  To keep it interesting, I just alternate between piles of receipts and my stack of seed catalogs.  In the coming months, I look forward to updating you all on some of the new varieties we will be growing this season.