Spring at the Farm

Welcome to the 2013 season at Frith Farm!

I'm Liz, an apprentice here and will be spearheading our attempt at dedicated blogging this year. 

Although the temperatures are still well below freezing most nights on the farm, Daniel and his team of three apprentices are already hard at work, preparing for the warmer days to come. 

First of all, I thought I'd direct your attention to the Team page of the website where you'll find short bios of this year's apprentices. 

Josh

Will

Liz

We are all really excited to be learning about farming with Daniel here in Scarborough and we're also excited to meet our CSA customers. Feel free to introduce yourselves as the season starts up and ask us any questions that we can (most likely) be able to answer for you!

Our first week's big focus was the farm's new, mega-sized Egg Mobile, built by Daniel and painted, staple-gunned with chicken wire and outfitted with laying boxes by the apprentice team. 

Taking the Egg Mobile out for its first spin!

An Egg Mobile is really useful for several reasons. Because it is essentially a chicken coop on wheels, we are able to move the chickens around so that they can forage for worms, bugs, clover and grasses on different areas of the farm. This helps us out with feed cost and also produces a more high-quality egg. Chickens are also helpful in spreading out compost that we have added to the soil. 

This year we have around 275 laying chickens, who are already producing about 60 eggs per day. This number will increase with longer days and the maturing of our youngest layers. 

In other news, our first crop has made it to the surface! Garlic cloves planted in the fall and covered with leaves for the winter are feeling their first rays of sun. 

Garlic headed for the sun!

No post would be complete, of course, without some pictures of the farm pigs.

Though yours truly (Liz) has fallen in love with one pig in particular (Miracle!), they are all friendly, if perennially hungry, and always welcome a nice pat on the head or scratch behind the ears.

You'll know Miracle by her very feminine white eyelashes!