Blanket Protection

I love snow. Not only is it fun and pretty, but it’s also beneficial to the fall-planted seedlings and seeds. Snow keeps a “winter blanket” on the beds, protecting the soil from erosion, wind, and the bitter cold. Brooklyn Botanical Garden wrote an insightful blog about it. We began 2025 on January 1st with our annual First Day Hike. Since 2017, we’ve been inviting a bunch of people to take a four-mile hike in Gunpowder State Park. This year, the weather was windy and in the 40’s—perfect! In January we see the days start to get longer. We are getting almost 10 hours of daylight. That’s enough to get the chickens laying again. They’ve been on break since November! The snow highlights the color in everything. Sapphire sky, iron-gray trees, glossy green magnolia, and blazing red twig dogwood paint the backdrop of winter days. The paperwhites have been blooming all…

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Last Blooms

It was mid November when I harvested my last Eucalyptus. We had a few light frosts. The mini “trees” that Eucalyptus grow to be can handle temperatures into the 20’s.…

Time to Plant

In May, it’s planting season for cosmos and zinnia seedlings, with nighttime temperatures consistently above 55°F. Beds are prepped using tarps and organic fertilizers in a no-till process. Peony season brings vibrant blooms, and various events and markets are announced for the community to enjoy flowers and activities.

March On

Finally after three months with no eggs, we got one! March brings longer days, about twelve hours of daylight. More daylight means egg production has resumed. Soon we will be…