Life in the Greenhouse

With clear, sunny days this last week, and lots of soil block making on our part, the greenhouse is quickly coming to life. We now have all our onions, leeks, and transplant brassicas started, along with solanums for the greenhouse, some lettuce, and various herbs and flowers. As the water table drops and the weather warms, we are looking forward to beginning outdoor planting.

Signs of Change

Preparing the future Frith Farm sign has occupied plenty of time this winter. After starting with a large round of hardwood, we now have a somewhat thinner piece of smoothed wood with the appropriate inscription carved and stained. We just recently harvested and debarked a small pine tree to serve as a post. Look for the newly erected sign as soon as the water table has gone down enough to install the post.

Greenhouse Mists

We have started trays of seeds that will be transplanted when the outdoor soil is warm enough. The front side of the greenhouse is now laid out with tables that are slowly and surely being filled with seed trays. The first seeds--onions and leeks--have germinated, and we now have the pleasant task of misting the seedlings once or twice daily. It is good to see splashes of green taking over the greenhouse!

All Aboard

One day the chickens found a strange structure in their back yard: the finished eggmobile. Some were quicker than others to take advantage of its fowl features, but it didn't take long for most of them to figure out the roosts and protection from the elements that the mobile structure provides. After a couple months moving about the field in their new abode they should start earning their keep with some fresh eggs.

Greener on the Other Side

In preparation for their permanent placement outdoors, and to motivate their more hesitant members to venture outside the greenhouse, we invited the chickens to snack on the tender grass shoots that were growing under the ground cover in the other section of the greenhouse. The success of this idea backfired, however, since from that time on any time we opened the door of the partition the hens tried to burst through to search for more tasty grass.

Fresh Air and Tender Shoots

The chickens continue to pack on weight, and in some ways seem to have outgrown their greenhouse space.  We shoveled snow in a section behind the greenhouse, and then made doors at the end of the greenhouse so that the chickens can venture forth into the great outdoors.

Meanwhile, Daniel is putting the finishing touches on the Eggmobile, and we hope to sneak it into the chicken yard one night so that the next morning the chickens will have a grand surprise.

Chick update

I'm not sure where the line is between chick and chicken, but the chick(ens) here are somewhere near it, in the somewhat disheveled adolescent phase when voices crack and gender suddenly means something. They are still easily flustered by human activity, but are becoming more courageous in their curiosity, venturing beyond their fence (that's right, they still fit right through it) for the enticing blade of greener grass on the other side. Here they are in action:

Head in a barrel

Part way through the making of this pig waterer, I realized that I was squeezing myself head first into a giant barrel recently full of pickled peppers. This made me chuckle, mixing in some eerily amplified acoustics with the pungent smell of jalapenos and vinegar. Sometimes it's good to take a step back and consider yourself from a outsider's perspective. Because you might see yourself in such a picture: upside down tall guy submerged in giant blue barrel laughing at the sound of his own laugh.

At least the scenario ended with a completed hog waterer.

Greenhouse Effect

Amazing what two sheets of plastic can do on a clear day. These photos were taken minutes apart:

100 Chicks a Chirping

The future egg layers of Frith Farm survived their journey through the recent nor'easter, courtesy of the United States Postal Service, and settled into their new home with good cheer. After consistent observation (work is difficult in so much snow), I have concluded my analysis of life as a chick. It goes something like this:

1. Wake up (from another chick rudely running into you)
2. Chirp loudly, presumably to let the world know you are now awake
3. Commence pecking at anything that is round and dark
4. Swallow the occasional peckage that happens to be edible
5. Run full speed into nearby sleeping chicks
6. Find yourself at the waterer, take a few swallows
7. Pause under the warmth of the brooder lamp, stretch, topple over for lack of balance
8. Chirp loudly
9. Fall prostrate in a sudden display of narcolepsy
10. Repeat 1-9.

The breeds are Rhode Island Reds, Barred Plymouth Rocks, and Black Australorps (the last two are currently indistinguishable to me).

Greenhouse Completed as Blizzard Strikes!

The snow continues to fall and the wind to rattle the bones of this old farmhouse, but so far the greenhouse is holding up to the storm. Newly clothed in its two layers of poly, it maintains an almost comfortable 40 degrees on days like today, and a delightfully uncomfortable 80 degrees on clear sunny days, even as the outdoor temperature remains in the 20s. Hopefully we'll still be able to find it tomorrow amid the snowdrifts.

 

Many thanks to the neighbors for helping us heave into place the 200-lb heater that will keep the seedlings warm this spring!

Up on the Roof

Work commences installing metal roofing over the ell of the farmhouse, replacing the remnants of the old asphalt shingles.

Snow, sheet metal, and a fear of heights - perhaps not the best time of year to be installing a new roof...

Veggies and Animals Need Water

Hearing that the hand-dug well sometimes dries up in summer, we decided it was imperative to have a deeper well drilled. Here is the new well and the trench going out to the greenhouse where a second hydrant will be situated. Note the high water table, barely 2 feet down!

The Greenhouse Arrives!

The greenhouse arrived in pieces.

Daniel exhibits a rare moment of reading directions before (or maybe slightly after) beginning to assemble.

The greenhouse is situated between the two garden plots and next to the windrow, and faces south so that it gets full benefit of the winter sun. It will in turn warm and protect seeds and seedlings, chicks and chickens, and extend the growing season. We must complete it in time for the expected arrival of 100 laying chicks on January 12!

Striking a Warm Chord

We have ventured into the woods to gather firewood in order to feed the two wood stoves. One of us is loathe to eliminate "junk" wood from this collection, and this one is not the one who counts on the steady heat from the stove to keep him warm throughout the night.... it is good to see the wood shack in the ell start to fill with cords of assorted and sometimes questionable wood.

The Growing Windrow

It is exciting to be collecting material that will eventually form rich compost to improve the soil. A quick check of the immediate neighborhood turned up leaves in the front yard, several farms with mounds of manure, and a veritable leaf mountain at the community recycling center. These have made their way to a central part of our field where a windrow is being formed, and we hope it will continue to grow.
 

Already parts of the windrow are heating up, as evidenced by steam rising, and the rising temperature as shown on the inserted 18-inch compost thermometer--up to 160 degrees! (These thermometers are sturdy, precise, and should be a part of every gardener's and cook's toolchest since they are easily moved from the compost to the turkey, the brownies, and back to the compost pile. )

Spreading Manure

After spreading lime on the new garden plots, we started to spread composted manure on certain sections. These will be tilled under in the spring.

After a full day of spreading manure, at bed at night you still imagine you are spreading manure. And if you forget to clean your boots before going to the library, you find you are still spreading manure....

A Time of Thanksgiving

Truly it is a time of thanksgiving, and a time of feeling welcomed by those who live here. With native Maine blood running rather thinly in our veins, we were nervous about how the neighbors might feel about outsiders moving into their neighborhood, but their kindness and welcome has quickly dispelled our fears.

In this first week on the farm, as we have been cleaning the farmhouse, installing a mailbox by the road, finding a wood stove via Craigslist and mapping out the garden plots, we have been visited by several neighbors who related their Fancy Farm memories and connections, and offered us help in numerous ways. It is good to feel the kindness and support of the community!

Closing on Fancy Farm

After what seemed like months of eager anticipation, today's closing on the Fancy Farm finally arrived. It was good to meet members of the Fancy family and hear of their excitement that the farm would come back to life. It was also a time for the community to celebrate the contributions of Scarborough township, the Maine Farmland Trust, and the Scarborough Land Conservation Trust in arranging the conservation easement that would both preserve the agricultural land and make the property more affordable to a farmer. Read the Portland Press Herald's article on the sale.

The new era at Frith Farm has begun!