I know we’re jumping ahead of ourselves: Spring officially starts in six days. But today’s weather has been amazing! Kelly and I took a walk today, and the wave of green has started to reveal itself. The melting snow is making the ground a soggy mess, but we will be able to sow new seeds soon.
What can the home gardener grow now? As soon as the soil dries a bit, you can sow peas, potatoes, and hardy greens like kale, chard, and spinach. I can hardly wait to eat something fresh!
-Brian
Posted by blacksheepfarms on March 14, 2013
http://blacksheepfarms.com/2013/03/14/welcome-spring/
Planning the farm usually begins in November. Well, I start talking about it in June, but the real action happens after we’ve cleaned out the garden beds and stacked wood for the furnace. We have to consider space, planting times, relationships to previous years’ crops and next year’s crops, favorite plant varieties, new ones, and materials to purchase.
But our success relies on something we can’t control: the weather.
Today, it feels like a crisp October morning with the promise of rain. The air is chilled, the breeze is moist, and bed didn’t want to give me back to the world. It’s a stark contrast to the last few months. In June and July, we suffered through a string of 95-103F temperatures, and some nights, the thermometer didn’t dip below 80. I say “suffered” because we don’t have central air conditioning on the farm… and we’re still feeling the effects in the garden.
Our tomatoes didn’t flower because of the hot temperature. Spinach bolted before it even developed baby leaves. We couldn’t sow new seeds because the soil temperature was too high for germination. The ground has cracked from the lack of rain. Today will be 10 weeks since our last measurable precipitation on the farm.
This week, we took advantage of the cooler temps and sowed some leafy greens seeds. When I tilled the rows, I noticed that our irrigation tape had left a trail of mineral deposits along the rows.
The weather has left us struggling to meet our CSA commitment. Our friends’ farms post photos of their tomato harvest on their Facebook pages, leading us to wonder what happened on our place and if we could have done something differently.
If you’ve read to this point, I should tell you that my life is not all doom and gloom. We took a short vacation to a state park this week, and enjoyed the break. The boys went fishing, we tooled around in a paddle boat, and enjoyed a dinner at Main Street Cafe in Louisville. (We recommend the chicken and noodles and the onion rings, both house made.) It was great to get away for a couple of days.
Every year brings challenges. We have to face facts and adapt. But nothing has scared us off yet.
-Brian
Posted by blacksheepfarms on August 18, 2012
http://blacksheepfarms.com/2012/08/18/the-best-laid-plans/
This week, one of the community gardens in Omaha suffered from vandalism. A batch of kids from the Sherman Community Center had started seeds in a greenhouse weeks ago and transplanted them in a 4800 square foot garden. That night, someone tore out everything.
As a farmer – and a father – I could only imagine the devastation that these kids felt. After all the excitement of growing their own plants and planning for delicious vegetables, they were robbed of the future.
When I heard, I called the City of Omaha Parks Foundation to coordinate replacements. I knew Omaha farming community could donate plants and seeds to these children. Amber Miller at the Foundation was thrilled at the offer.
It turns out, I was not the only one. The very next day, the entire garden was replanted with donated plants and seeds. It shows that our community is ready to support those in need, especially when it comes to kids in the garden. Amber told me that the City is installing a new community garden next week, and all incoming donations will be used there.
Black Sheep Farms will collect your donations through Saturday on the farm and in downtown Omaha and transport them to the community garden group. Email us at farm@blacksheepfarms.com to make arrangements.
-Brian
Posted by blacksheepfarms on May 30, 2012
http://blacksheepfarms.com/2012/05/30/replacement-seeds/
When we started Black Sheep Farms, Kelly and I wanted to share our love of growing food and flowers with our community. After all, we were lucky enough to have family and friends who passed along their wisdom and advice to help us get started.
Many times, people ask us for tips about how to start gardens and where to buy seeds and plants. We are eager to reveal our favorite sources, but we understand that not everyone wants to buy a packet of 250 seeds for their backyard garden. So, this year, we are helping a little more by offering plants for sale.
The Black Sheep Farms plant sale is open on Saturdays, April 28th and May 5th from 12-5pm. The farm is located at 12808 N 192nd St, which is the NW corner of Hwy 36 and 192nd St.
Since we specialize in chemical-free, non-GMO, heirloom varieties for our farm, we have grown the same for you. We have started hundreds of vegetables, flowers, houseplants, and herbs, and we have transplanted fruit plants and bushes, too.
Some of the items we have include:
-Brian
Posted by blacksheepfarms on April 7, 2012
http://blacksheepfarms.com/2012/04/07/black-sheep-farms-plant-sale/
No matter how mild or severe the winter, we always look forward to Spring. It’s a time of anticipation. We’re on the edge of enormous change, but we have to temper our excitement with the pace of Nature. Things happen when they happen, and no human can urge them along.
Weeks ago, we planted seeds in the greenhouse for our upcoming plant sale. They sprouted and stalled, ignoring our pleas for growth until the sun sent the expected signals. Then, the tiny stems thickened and reached upward. Plants know when the time is right.
Our chickens huddled together, refusing to lay eggs. Just two weeks ago, we found one a day. Yesterday, there were 23.
Even roadkill has its seasons. In February, it was skunk. Now, rabbit.
We have spotted flies winding their way across the sky and heard the early morning birds greeting the day. The sprouts of garlic and tulips are pushing their way up, as are the lily-of-the-valley. These changes give us hope for a healthy growing season and many hours of playing in the dirt.
Posted by blacksheepfarms on March 10, 2012
http://blacksheepfarms.com/2012/03/10/signs-of-spring/
If you need hope for the future, start a garden.
The acts of selecting seeds, planting them, watering the sprouts, nurturing the plants, and enjoying the fruits, flowers, and foliage are manifestations of hope for the future. Until the last, all of your effort is channeled into something that will happen in the future. Dreams of a slender bean or a bright ranunculus drive you to complete the difficult tasks of working the soil, weeding repeatedly, and living with dirty fingernails.
It is never too late to get started, and it is never too late to make a change toward a better life.
Posted by blacksheepfarms on February 7, 2012
http://blacksheepfarms.com/2012/02/07/hope-for-the-future/
While the rest of Eastern Nebraska was shivering this afternoon, I was enjoying tropical paradise, also known as the greenhouse. Thanks to the sunshine we got today, the greenhouse hit a balmy 80 degrees, so I ended school with the boys early so I could have a chance to get some much needed work done out there. Winters are always hard on me. I seem to be colder than the average person, so by February, I’m desperate for some warm weather. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE winter. I don’t know that I could ever live in a climate that did not experience 4 seasons like we do here in Nebraska. But several days of cloud and bitter cold temps have started to affect my mood. Just ask my children; that’s not a good thing!
Some of you may be wondering what work a farmer has to do in January. Well, not a lot, but there is plenty to keep me busy for a few hours. Since I am fortunate enough to have a greenhouse, I can keep all kinds of exotic tropicals that I’ve always wanted to have, but have never had the sunlight in my house to keep them looking good. We also have herbs, flowering kale and a few other things growing for The Grey Plume.
We also have a few things growing for our family to eat. For weeks, I’ve enjoyed fresh salad for lunch thanks to the lettuce bed in the greenhouse. Right now you’re thinking, “Man, I would LOVE a fresh salad right now!” I’m here to tell you, you can have it. Yes, having a greenhouse makes growing food in the winter easy, but it’s not required. Anyone can have lettuce or herbs in the winter with just a few supplies.
Really, a grow light, soil, pots and seed are really all that is required. Almost everyone has a small corner or space somewhere to start some seeds. If you’ve never started anything from seed before, I highly recommend Paradigm Gardens. They are knowledgeable about indoor gardening, organic growing and even hydroponics (if you’re into that sort of thing…). They can set you up with lighting, potting soil, fertilizer, everything you need to be successful at indoor seed starting. So, there is really no excuse for not having your own little indoor garden.
We are always available to offer help, too. Just ask, we’re happy to help. But if we don’t respond right away, it’s because we’re in the greenhouse!
~Kelly
Posted by blacksheepfarms on January 20, 2011
http://blacksheepfarms.com/2011/01/20/the-tropics/
