that we'll be planting onions in just 8 weeks!
Operation Jason has begun!
To honor a friend and former employee of Calihan Catering, we want to celebrate Jason's memory on May 11 with plants from the farm. Seedlings have already been started in the greenhouse, and a carload of flowers and vegetables will be arriving for all our employees in the hopes that they will be planted and enjoyed throughout Chicago this growing season.
It's an exciting time....
...as the first of my seed orders arrives! High Mowing, Seed Savers, and Hudson Valley Seed have received the remainder of my orders this year. I have to limit myself to just four vendors, or I'd spend all winter with my nose in seed catalogs and no orders placed!
The countdown has begun....
...and it's time for those New Year's resolutions. At Walnut Hill Farm we are hoping to fill our bee hive, add more raised beds, develop our "secret garden" complete with pond, finish the Cornell (Lab of Ornithology) course and be able to identify all 66 birds who might frequent our feeders, make great compost in our new bins, and keep everyone up to date on our Instagram account. Happy New Year to all and may each of you be showered with special blessings in 2018!
Hats off to the workhorses of the garden!
There are nearly 7000 species of worms on our planet, but the two that we want in our garden are the burrowing and feeding kind. Often referred to as Nature's plow, the burrowing worm aerates the soil, creating horizontal pathways underground. The feeding worms thrive on decaying organic matter and leave rich worm castings behind, providing a wonderful natural fertilizer. The worms pictured above are red wigglers. They live in worm bins in the greenhouse, consume half their weight in kitchen scraps each day and double their population in 90 days! Their favorite foods are the melon rinds and avocado skins, but they'll eat most everything we toss in. Hats off to these hard working friends of our farm!
Merry Christmas!
This fall we planted our "forever" Christmas tree!
How does it know?
How does it know just when to open? This Schlumbergera is a small genus of cacti found in the coastal mountains of Brazil. This one spends most of the year on a bottom shelf in the greenhouse, neglected and ignored. But each Christmas, as if by magic, its blooms unfold, creating magnificent color for our holiday table!
Keeping deer out of the orchard...
has been a real challenge this past year. We have been using an inexpensive solution of 25 lb. fishing line strung at 1 foot intervals between 8 foot stakes. When the deer strolls into the line, his automatic reaction is to back up. But not before breaking a line or two. Last weekend I spent hours restringing the "fence." Although the barrier has never been completely "breached" it does require regular attention. Perhaps a real fence is the answer?
Christmas came early to Walnut Hill Farm...
...when Conrad delivered an "insect hotel!" When filled with lots of natural materials, creating nooks and crannies, this bug mansion will provide deluxe accommodations for the beneficial insects, who, in return, will provide pollination and pest predation. Can't wait to "decorate" it! Merry Christmas, Conrad, and thank you!
Delicious addition to our salads all winter long!
A passive hydroponic system in the greenhouse produces a variety of microgreens in less than 2 weeks! This Spicy Micro Mix from Johnny's Seed includes a colorful blend of red and green mustards...and it pairs beautifully with their Mild Micro Mix of Mizuna, Cabbage, Kale, and Kohlrabi.
Buttoned up for winter!
All the beds have been "put to bed" for the winter.
Last harvest
The remaining carrots, beets, and kohlrabi were harvested this weekend and were a wonderful complement to our Thanksgiving dinner!
Last walnut....
is holding on! But all of the others have fallen and these Black Walnut tress are bare. Winter is not far behind!
It's all about the soil...
...and nothing will build up the soil better than rich organic matter. These new bins behind the barn will ensure a steady supply of compost for my beds.
Local Landmark - The Half-Way Tree
This BUR OAK marks the halfway point between LAKE MICHIGAN and the MISSISSIPPI RIVER. Paced off by Indian runners and confirmed by U.S.Survey in 1832. (Spring Grove Township - Green County, Wisconsin).