The fields are filling up

Hello from the field! Since Raphaëlle posted about a month ago, we've shifted gears from tidying and organizing to making garden beds, shovelling A LOT of compost, and of course, seeding and planting. When things pick up on the farm, they really pick up! We're so excited that the CSA and farmer's market season is just around the corner. If you're a CSA customer, expect an email in your inbox with an update this week. We are taking stock of crops daily and likely won't start at the Privateer Market in Liverpool until we have about 4-5 crops ready to sell. The first crops ready will be spinach, salad turnips, radishes, lettuce, and spicy mix.

Onions are one of the earliest crops to be transplanted into the field, as they are relatively cold hardy and need lots of time to size up. This photo of Raphaëlle and Rebecca (and my dog/ helper, Romy) was taken at the end of April, which for many farmers is later than usual to plant onions. We aren't concerned - planting them when the soil and air temperatures are higher will ensure their rapid growth. This year we planted storage onions, bunching onions, leeks, and a few shallots.

Warmer nighttime temperatures also mean that we've started planting our Mediterranean crops (we generally call them 'hot crops') in high tunnels. The tomatoes are going in first, as they have really taken off in our seeding greenhouse over the last week and are taking up a lot of real estate. In this photo Rebecca is planting them very deeply 1 food apart. Before she plants them, she is dipping the root ball in an organic fish fertilizer/ water mixture to help ease the transplant shock and give them a growth boost. You may be surprised that we plant them so close together, but we allow two 'leader' stems to form and then trellis them in opposite directions, into the paths and away from each other. They will rub up against each other but with regular, vigorous pruning they'll be happy and air will flow through.

And last but not least, I'm happy to show you this heartwarming Spring sight. I've been watching the pond for weeks when I take Romy for wood's walks to see when the baby

ducklings would show up, as mom and dad have been hanging out since the beginning of April. Today they finally appeared! Not the best photo quality but I didn't want to get too close.

If you are still wavering about signing up for a CSA share this year, you're not too late - we have a handful of shares remaining. Check springtidefarm.localline.ca for availability.

thanks for reading! Hope you're enjoying these warm Spring days.

• Jessie