Forcing Spring to Arrive

   Why do Spring, Summer and Fall seem to rush by so quickly and yet Winter lingers on forever in New England? The secret to leaving the gloominess of late winter behind and rushing into an early spring isn't really that hard. When we think of spring we inevitably think of flowers. Although there may be snow on the ground (as it is here in Vermont) we can bring spring inside our homes right out of our winter looking yards.
   The calendar says it is officially spring as of March 20th, but I have been forcing a bit of spring for several weeks. It all started during an unusually warm spell at the end of January when I noticed the pussy willows in our yard starting to slightly open up. That was all I needed to motivate me to pick some branches from the bushes and bring them into our warm house to fully open. Within a few days presto it seemed like spring!
   Generally flowering branches cut in January take 3 weeks to bloom in your home, branches cut in February take 2 weeks, and branches cut in March can flower in just one week. Be sure that the buds on the branches are fairly swollen before forcing them to flower in the house.

These peach tree buds are swollen on the branches and ready to force indoors.

Strip the bark from the bottom inch of the branch and put two cuts in the bottom of the stem in an X, this will enable the stem to take up water more efficiently. Be patient and watch spring unfurl indoors while it is still too chilly outside.

   Try forcing redbud, flowering quince, flowering dogwood, forsythia, crabapple, apple, plum, peach, any flowering fruit tree, as well as, spirea, mountain laurel, pussy willow, rhododendrons and azaleas. It is always fun to experiment every year and add a few new species to the flowering branches you have already had success with. Enjoy tricking these beautiful harbingers of spring into blooming in your home too.

Forsythia starting to come out in the house in February.

 

 

Apple branches being forced last month.

 

 

Pussy willows forced at the end of January added to a bouquet of flowers from The Farm at Mill Village in South Royalton, Vermont.

 

 

    



 





 

 



Glorious Spring!

   I refuse to complain about the pot holes in the roads and the mud just about everywhere because it's Spring, it's Spring, it's glorious Spring!! I can hardly believe the snow is almost gone. I can finally see where my gardens go. It's been soooo slow coming but spring is here.
   The baby chicks arrived on Thursday and they are just as cute as can be. Now I have to worry. Are they too cold? Are they too hot? I seem to be constantly raising and lowering the brooder light to get the temperature just right. They are in their brooder, a small livestock tub, with a brooder lamp on them to keep them warm, and all seem content- eating, drinking, and napping. What more could a baby chick want?

                                                                      Our new babies.

                                      Day old Silver-laced and Gold-laced Wyandotte chicks

   My first beekeeping class was Monday night at the Randolph Tech Center, and it was really informative and fun. It was not too "technical" and our teacher answered all our questions and emphasized to have fun with this new adventure. He was very laid back and now I feel more relaxed about getting my bees and setting up my hive, and very, very excited.
   With the warmer weather and longer days, our older girls are really laying eggs! So with the new "Fresh Eggs" sign finally completed, we will be setting up our roadside stand on nice days. The price of the eggs are still $2.50 a dozen. I also have a limited amount of cultivated French pussy willows for sale as well. These are the big pinkish-gray pussy willows that I grow in my yard. They are $5.50 a bunch.

The new sign for our eggs.

 

Pussy willows- a sure sign of spring.

 

   Finally thanks to everyone who has contacted me for orders for the Lavender-Shea lip balm. Although I included the instructions and recipe for the lip balm in a previous post, most people do not have the time to make it. I am going to be making the lip balm for sale, and you can contact me at thefarmatmillvillage@gmail.com with orders. The price is $3.50 per tin plus mailing.

   I hope everyone is getting outside and enjoying this fabulous weather. We finally made it to spring!

Meet Patrick and Peter

   The Farm at Mill Village has two new babies to welcome spring. Meet Patrick and Peter.

They are brothers who are nine weeks old and just as cute as can be. We went on St. Patrick's Day to pick up our first bunny, hence the name Patrick. By the next morning I felt it would be a lonely life for Patrick, so we went back to pick up Peter, named after my Grandfather and coincidently "Peter Rabbit". The only complication is that in order to keep two males together they will need to be neutered at four months old, or run the risk of them fighting. Male rabbits will also spray urine like a male cat if not neutered. So it is off to the vet for Patrick and Peter in a few weeks. We have always kept rabbits, but this is the first time we have decided to keep two together and opt for surgery. For now they are very happy to be together and enjoy each others company. These are by far the friendliest bunnies we have ever had, loving to be picked up and cuddled and I am more that happy to indulge them. Who could resist? When the warm weather arrives, if the warm weather arrives, they will be going outside to a large rabbit hutch where they will have plenty of room to run back and forth all day long. For now they are in an indoor rabbit cage in a corner of our living room enjoying the activities of family living.
Happy first day of Spring and thanks for reading my blog!

Patrick enjoying his breakfast

Peter trying to take a nap but Patrick wants to play

To Bee or not to Bee

   To have bees or not to have bees that is the question I have been presenting myself with for the past two years. I am totally in love with the idea of keeping bees for honey and beeswax, pollinating my gardens and fruit trees, and helping to restore the declining honey bee population. What I am not in love with is the extra work and commitment of taking care of the bees, and not to mention the monetary expense of the wooden hives, bee keeping equipment, bee keeper's suit, and yes, even the honey bees themselves. I also have been contemplating putting in a garden of 20 to 30 cold weather hardy lavender plants. The bees just seem like the perfect companion to the lavender plants for pollinating and then reaping the rewards of lavender flavored honey. It seems like the perfect pairing and yet the more I read about beekeeping, and I am reading everything I can get my hands on, it seems to intimidate me more. I think I will plant the lavender plants this year so that they can get established, and put off the decision of beekeeping until possibly next year. I change my mind on this predicament almost daily, so we shall see. I did just find out about a beginner's beekeeping class being held locally in April, so that will be my first step.
   I ordered most of the flower seeds for the cutting gardens, and all of the vegetable seeds for the kitchen vegetable garden this past weekend. I anticipate they will arrive in the middle of a snowstorm they usually do, but that is what makes it more thrilling.
   On Saturday morning my husband and I were on Music Mountain Road in Stockbridge, Vermont when I spotted a large flock of robins. Yes robins on February 1st on a mountain in Vermont! The field was free of snow since it had a southern exposure, and there were the robins. I lost count after 20, but I would say there were close to 30 of them. So, with the local groundhog in Vermont not seeing his shadow due to the cloudy, dismal day we had on Sunday, I would say we may have spring just around the corner. Oh wait, aren't we predicted to have two snowstorms this week?

This week's pictures of winter on the farm: