We have been doing the usual “winterizing” of the garden. Pulling out old dead plants (ex: tomatoes, squash, pumpkins, beans,) pruning and mulching the berries, giving the garden beds a fresh layer of compost, and chopping firewood for when the power goes out (which happens quite often here). The only seedlings I am putting in the ground now are hardy plants that can tolerate the winter freeze at night: brussel sprouts, cabbage, swiss chard, carrots, kale, collard greens, peas, beets, onions, garlic, leeks, and fennel. While not all of these plants will thrive during winter, they will survive and blast off nice and early in spring. We are finishing up the harvest and storage process for the fruits and vegetables we grew in the spring/summer that will be eaten during fall/winter: canning tomato sauce, apple and pear sauce, freezing green beans and peas. A sweet cat adopted us and has been an excellent companion in the garden! I also got the opportunity to help bottle feed a newborn cow calf as the neighbors nursed him back to health. He was found stranded and separated from the mother on a ranch. It was so sweet to see how their dog patiently watched over him. 

One of the most important things we do at this time of year is plant fava beans. They are edible and full of nutrients not just for our bodies but for the soil as well. We use fava beans as cover crops during the winter to protect the soil and add nitrogen back into the soil (which is something most crops deplete the soil of and one of the main components in fertilizers.)

Spring is finally here! After an onslaught of storms this winter, the days are getting warmer and filled with sunshine here on the Northern California Coast. One of our biggest Black Acacia trees was uprooted and tossed down by the incessant wind. We have been busy with the chainsaw, wood chipper and compost processing the tree and recycling it back into the property. Due to the heavy winds and rain the bees have not been as active pollinating the blossoming fruit trees so I tried my luck at hand pollinating the plum trees which were in bloom during these wet and cloudy days. The chickens are busy fertilizing and cleaning up the remaining green waste from the winter garden- bolting brussel sprouts, kale, and broccoli. We have been starting seeds for the spring garden indoors in preparation for the last frost, which should be in the next couple weeks; yellow squash, zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, lettuce, marigolds, zinnias, sunflowers and more! Since the tree opened up a huge spot on the property we are designing a camping spot for that space. Come try it out!

Everyone loves strolling along picking ripe berries so I am currently adding more bare root berry plants: gooseberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and goji berries. The recent heavy rains have made the ground so workable and digging is much easier than later in the year when our clay soil is so hard it feels like digging in rocks. When the fruit trees go dormant during the winter there is plenty of work to be done pruning the pears, apples and plums. Most of this material I run through the wood chipper and use to mulch the trees. We are also harvesting from our worm bin and the compost we make (from our food scraps and yard clippings) to top dress the veggie beds. As far as producing food from our garden the hardy greens are still thriving: savoy cabbage, brussel sprouts, kale, and swiss chards are the champions this time of year. We have even been harvesting potatoes that were still left in the ground and eating the stored winter squash from our fall 2022 harvest. 

Friends, family and community often ask if they can come down and help in the garden, ABSOLUTELY! Can I bring my kids, Yes! Can I bring my dog, Yes! (Please keep them under voice command or a leash so they don't go into the veggie beds) There is always work to be done planting seeds, tending, and harvesting. Its relaxing, rewarding and a lot of fun. We are looking forward to having the Homestead ready to host a Spring Yoga & Meditation Retreat!