Busy Spring

Doesn't it seem like the weather will never decide if we should have it warm or cold, but soon enough things will settle in for some nice warm weather....I hope.  We have one planting of sweet corn in the field, but it won't be growing much with these cold nights.  Actually we don't want to see it poke out of the ground to soon....at least not when we are are still getting such heavy frost/freezes in the mornings.  We are working on getting the fields worked so we can get more corn in, then once it warms up we can start planting, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage and all those other veggies.   For now....we can enjoy the sweet smelling and colorful flowers in the nice warm greenhouse!

This week is Project RED.  (Rural Education Day)  This is a educational program I work on with Macomb County Farm Bureau.  For this years event we are bringing 850 third graders to the fair grounds this Tuesday and teaching them a little bit about farming in Macomb County.   We have lined up presenters to talk to the children about diary cows, honey bees, fruits and veggies, goats, rabbits, poultry, beef cattle, and  miniature horses.  They get a quick blast of info at each station.  Macomb County farm bureau volunteers, together with local 4-H and FFA kids, master gardeners and Farm Bureau Insurance Agents have been providing this educational program for about 15 years now.  I like to refer to it as controlled chaos!  It's a great day and fun and learning, if your childrens school doesn't participate....they should!  The kids love it, the teachers love it, and our presenters and volunteers love to help with this program.

Getting your gardens ready

Each year we wait for the snow to melt and get our vegetable and flower gardens planted.  This year has been a little different.  80 degrees in March...again 80 degree days in April.  Some folks want to get their gardens in early.  Remember we are in Michigan and if you plant to early and are forever covering and uncovering for the frost and freezes. 

For now...Hanging baskets are a great way to spruce up your place early giving you color and flowers to your home, and if the weather is going to be cold...it is very easy to bring them in for the night.  

Have you ever had your garden dirt tested.  As a cost control and environmental issue we test our fields each spring before we plant.  This ensures we are only using what is necessary, and we are not spending money on nutrients and fertilizers we don't need.   If you don't have to fertilize as heavy because the dirt has enough nutrients in it then why put more on.  Why spend the money if you don't need to.  We work very hard to bring you the safest and freshest produce possible and to do this we need to make sure our costs stay as low as possible.



Love those Tomatoes!



Young Entrepreneur

Things on the farm are just coming along just fine.  The hanging baskets a growing nicely and so are the veggies.  Joe is working everyday to make sure everything is ready for the start of the growing season.

I went to Tustin, MI this weekend to the 4-H Kettenun Center.  It was the first time I had ever been there and will be back again, if possible.  It is a very nice facility set in the woods in the northern part of this great state.  I took a class on Entrepreneurial Education.  What a great class.  Myself and two other 4-H Leaders from Macomb County, along with several others from the Oakland, Barry and several other counties, are now certified to teach this curriculum to 6th thru 12th grade youth.  We plan on taking this information into the schools and our 4-H clubs to teach kids about becoming business owners.  So much interesting and exciting information.  We can teach kids about starting and owning their own business.  They can take something they love to do and make it into a money making adventure.  And how great is that, to love what you do and that is your job!!!

Kids on the Farm

I took pictures of the tomatoes and peppers growing in the greenhouse, but I switched printers and I can't seem to get them off of my memory card....I'll keep working on it . 

Kids working on the farm.  It's a topic that is getting alot of attention right now with legislators and the farming community.   We have always had the pleasure of having our children with us as we get our work done on the farm.  They help feed animals, pick fruits and veggies (sometimes they eat more than they pick),  many times it's not even working, it's just being with mom and/or dad while they are working.  Some are saying that it is dangerous and they are working on making it illegal for our children to care for any animals on the farm, use any equipment, and drive tractors. 

I can't imagine not having our children by our sides as we work.  Accidents can happen, yes, but accidents can happen anywhere and at anytime, whether it is on the farm or not.  Bicycles, skateboards, rollerskates, horses, dirbikes, they can be dangerous also.   We as parents take every precaution to make sure our children are safe when we have them with us.

Our children are now grown and I expect to have grandchildren in the next few years.  It will be very important to us to teach our grandchildren about farming and our way of life.  We a few...only about 2% of the population of this world feeds 100% of the population.  We need to teach our children this way of life.  It is a great way to grow up...I know my kids loved being part of something that almost no one else in their school could say that they were part of.

Spring...or Summer....

I must say this weather has been fantastic.  Well it has been great in our neck of the woods.  The nasty weather down by Dexter and up around Lapeer wasn't so nice. 

I know alot of people will want their fresh veggies sooner this year because the weather is so nice.  Unfortuneately, we cannot get into the fields any earlier.  The ground is still very cold and wet.  This warm weather is great to getting the soil temperature warmer and dried out, but mother nature is sure to show her cold and wet ways again.  We try to get into the fields my the middle of April, but again that is also dependent upon the weather.

We have tomatoes ready to transplant....YEAH!!!  We are seeding and transplanting almost everyday now so we can have those wonderful veggies ready for July.  I will try to get out to the greenhouse and get some new pictures to post.  For now how about a picture of those fabulous tomatoes we will have this summer.

What a Beautiful Day

Wow, wasn't the weather today great!

The heaters don't have to do any work in the greenhouse on days like today.  Everything is growing nicely.  We have more plant material coming in next week for transplanting and Joe will be busy seeding more veggies also.  Today Joe spent part of the day working on the plow.  All the plow points that dig into the ground for turning the soil needed to be replaced.  He is working on several pieces of equipment so when the time comes to get into the field and start planting, hopefully, everything will be in working order. 

It is nice to enjoy a day like today, doing some work, but also able to take some time and play.  Joe, Elizabeth (our daughter) and Ben (our nephew) went out on the dirt bikes this afternoon.  They didn't get to crazy since they hadn't ridden since last fall.  They got home with no injuries....that is a good thing.

Have a great week...the weather is going to be great.

Sue Kutchey

Another windy day!

Well you gotta love the wind.....I thought our wind earlier in my post was strong.   It was nothing compared to Friday night!

As the winds picked up you can only hope everything stays in one place, but about midnight Friday night we could hear some loud flapping....like a very large piece of plastic.  Yes it was, Joe and Elizabeth went out to see if it was the greenhouse and if they could fix it, but the wind had taken the entire roof the the center bay of our gutter greenhouse. 

Saturday morning, as soon as  Joe made sure his hanging baskets that we had just planted earlier on Friday were safe and warm, he headed to Toledo, Ohio to get a new piece of plastic.  The wind was to strong to recover the greenhouse on Saturday, so once again we checked the divider to make sure it was secure and patched a few holes, and covered all the baskets with a cloth help prevent the plants from freezing and hoped for the best. 

Sunday morning...all is well.  The plants made it through the night, Joe has his crew of volunteers coming to help recover the greenhouse and hopefully this time it stays in place.

Stay tuned for updates.

Sue Kutchey