Farm News: January

Happy New Year, everyone! This is Phil, the facilities manager at Farm Kitchen. January is considered a “down” month at the farm, but of course, there’s still a ton to do. The rain and cold have forced us inside, so instead of working in the dirt we’re… planning to work in the dirt.

Here are some of the ways we spend January getting ready to farm at Farm Kitchen:

Ordering Seeds

This was a fun meeting. We got together and talked about last year’s flowers and vegetables, comparing notes on what we liked and what we didn’t. Some of our veggies tasted so good that every day we would pick and eat them (Jimmy Nardello peppers and sprouting broccoli, for example) and some looked so pretty that we kept getting compliments (Midnight Roma tomatoes and sweet peas). We like compliments. We might have gone a little overboard with our orders, but we have a lot more space to grow flowers in 2023, and most seeds last 2 to 3 years. That means that even if we don’t plant them this growing season, they won’t go to waste.

Dirt Watch

We planted our cover crop in time to beat the frost. The cover crop is a mixture of rye and vetch, which keep the soil rich and spongy while crowding out weeds and deterring pests. Come spring, we’ll mow the cover crop and turn the dirt over with a broadfork, but for now, we keep an eye on it and give the little stalks some pep talks.

Staying vigilant against grass is another priority. In spring and summer, the grass looks great running between our rows of veggies, fruits, and flowers, but it wants to take them over. A little work with the electric edger helps keep the lines defined.

Weathering Storms

Heavy snowfall in December ripped our remay, which is the garden cloth covering the ranunculus flowers that can still grow in cold months. That cloth is important to protect baby flowers, so we check it every day and fix the ripped parts or replace sections that may have been blown off.

Pruning the Orchard

Our apple trees are sleeping during winter, making this the perfect time to prune. Before the end of February, we’ll have trimmed away enough branches to give them a bowl-like shape that encourages fruit production when the season changes.

Get Organized

Now is the time to organize our tools. Everyone knows how a shed can get a little messy over time, and winter months are perfect for figuring out where and how to store shovels, hoes, hand and electric tools, and all the odds and ends that help us farm and landscape when the weather warms up and Farm Kitchen gets busy. I’m most excited to screw peg boards into the walls of The Shop. (That’s what we call our storage space attached to the barn).

Do Your Homework

How can we keep the food and flowers we grow as healthy and pest-free as possible? Winter is when we spend some time learning. There are endless numbers of books and online classes that help us be as ready as possible for when the weather turns farm-friendly.

Bring on February!