Planting Weekend 2015!

Always fun to start the day being greeted by such a pretty bird.

 Planting. Day 2. All 4 of us working together.

And then....we opened THIS box. The "Niwot" black raspberry. And said, Um, we didn't realize we had ordered any tissue culture plants. At least we knew OF them. Turns out they pop right into the ground like a fun little package with their well contained roots and dirt ball.

This came as a welcome relief at the end of the day after wrangling roots much longer like this, and many had root balls that were way, way bigger.

Husband and Thing 2 went especially fast, which was awesome for getting finished, but I took my time to clear out leftover hay and roots from the soil. Also want to make sure these new additions are happy here. 

Day 2:

 Area 6 - Row 11 & 12. Niwot - left. Niwot then Bristol - right.

 House #5. Josephine - left. Nantahala - right.

House #4. BP-1 then Caroline - left. Himbo Top - right.

House #3. Jaclyn - left. Joan J - right.

Heritage - the last 5 plants on row 2 - 6, 8 - 10.

We did it! Now on to building up the much needed irrigation. The saga continues.

Click here: The Unexpected Farm Girl - The Prequel for photos & amusing stories from the 2008 - 2011 part of The Unexpected Farm Girl's journey. 

Smiles!

The Unexpected Farm Girl (Erika)

Raspberries Day 1

Scenes from Day 1 of Week 1

Raspberry plant #1 of 500 goes in on 4.25.15 and thus the delicious journey begins again.

Starting the day by helping a little guy out.

 Husband in all his silliness unpacking the first berries.

 Getting the berry bath water ready to soak them before planting.

 Here we go!

 Looks like this one started growing while waiting on us to plant. Oops.

 House #1. Anne on the left, and Polana on the right.

House #2. Polka on the left, Autumn Britten in the row on the right.

 House #3. Jaclyn on the left.

 Some people look like their pets, I guess I look like my plants.

 Awww. After almost 22 years together, we're still having fun.

And as the rain came down on us at the end of the day, we had a successful (and hopefully fruitful) Day 1 of whatever this journey turns out to be.

Click here: The Unexpected Farm Girl - The Prequel for photos & amusing stories from the 2008 - 2011 part of The Unexpected Farm Girl's journey. 

Smiles!

The Unexpected Farm Girl (Erika)

Oh, The Drama of It All

Quick flashback....

Got wind? We did. Plastic tried to run away, and it made for quite the Valentine's Day weekend.

A day in the life....

Baby Berries & Mis-Stakes

I have 495 raspberry plants in my kitchen. Let me back up and say that we definitively answered the question on whether or not we would be 100% ready for the arrival of the berries. Um, not at all exactly. They're here! A day early. And now, since we're not at all quite ready to plant them, I am bundled up in my house, FREEZING, with the air conditioning cranked up so the baby berries don't get too warm and start to grow while sitting in boxes, waiting patiently....in my kitchen.

The Mis-Stakes 

Green House Vendor to Husband: Don't you want any stakes to go with your ground cover order?

Husband: No, thanks.

Husband to Me: They asked me if I wanted any stakes and I said no. I'll go to Home Depot and get some.

Me to Husband: Do you even know if they will have enough, let alone the right kind?

....and cut to the part in the scene where the big box store stakes were too weak, Mother Nature kicks in a storm, blah blah blah, rips the black ground cover up and twists it up yards away.

Husband to Me: Yeah, call the green house vendor and order 5 boxes of stakes. Or should we get a full 1,000?

Me: Yes, dear.

 Baby Berries....

 ....stacked up in my kitchen, trying to stay chilly enough before they get their roots comfortably situated.

Click here: The Unexpected Farm Girl - The Prequel for photos & amusing stories from the 2008 - 2011 part of The Unexpected Farm Girl's journey. 

Smiles!

The Unexpected Farm Girl (Erika)

The Sunshine Has Arrived

This. THIS is the sunshine I could see back in January when I closed my eyes and looked out over the farm in it's neglected state. We've come a long way, by working together. And now that the raised beds are covered, we have to get our irrigation set up quick fast and in a hurry to accomodate the berries that are 1. ON THE WAY and 2. Will be very thirsty, very soon. 

Plenty of sunshine ready to greet the berries scheduled to be delivered any day now!

Click here: The Unexpected Farm Girl - The Prequel for photos & amusing stories from the 2008 - 2011 part of The Unexpected Farm Girl's journey. 

Smiles!

The Unexpected Farm Girl (Erika)