Rainbows

The sun broke through during our daily thunderstorm today, illuminating a couple of nice rainbows stretching from the barn…

to the hoophouses…

Hoophouse bounty

All of our spring vegetables have had a nice comfortable upbringing in our smaller hoophouse.  Pictured are lettuce, beets, turnips, carrots, cilantro, kale, chard, spinach, etc.

We learned how to make this one at a workshop put on by Foundation Farm in Eureka Springs, after which we got a wild hair and decided to build one, even though our first hoophouse was still only about 25% finished.  Our larger hoophouse took approximately one million hours to build, whereas this smaller one took… one day, give or take, with help from some friends. And it cost a whole lot less.

The design is very elegant. Nothing is permanently attached to anything else; i.e., no screws, nails, or holes in the plastic.  So far, it has held up very well.  We get some pretty high winds up here in the Ozarks (such as last night’s 50-mph gusts), but so far, both of our hoophouses have stood the test.

Hoophouses provide a lot of benefits to the farmer–extra warmth; protection from wind, rain, and frost; and some protection from pests as well.  After using one for a few months, I think protection from rain is probably the greatest benefit, at least in the spring when there’s a lot of it.  Rain compacts the soil, leaches nutrients, and waters all your weeds.

First Farmer’s Market

Our first farmer’s market (ever!) was on Saturday, at the Argenta Farmer’s Market in downtown North Little Rock.  As we harvested, processed, packed, and prepared on Friday, we kept hearing daunting weather reports — 100% chance of rain, up to one inch expected, mainly in the morning, etc.  But we forged ahead, unfazed.  And the rain miraculously held off!  It was a great day at a great farmer’s market.  Everyone, customers and farmers included, were clearly happy to be kicking off a new year, and there was a great variety of Arkansas-grown food available.  Unlike most “farmer’s markets” in the area, the Argenta Farmer’s Market is comprised 100% of Arkansas farmers who grow all of the products they sell.  We’re going to try to be there every Saturday, so come check us out.

Tulip Non-Harvest

…and here’s what happens when we take a day off from picking them!

Hello and Tulip Harvest

Hi all.  Ben here.  Hopefully the looks of this blog will soon match more closely the looks of the rest of the website.  But for now, I wanted to make sure there was something for you when you click “Blog.”  So let’s take a quick tour of our tulip operation, shall we? Here’s Elizabeth with an armful of tulips, which are the first crop we’ve harvested from our new hoophouse. Notice that the bulbs are still attached.  This helps them last longer out of the ground without blooming.

And here’s where we store them, in a couple of borrowed chest freezers (thanks, Falling Sky Farm!) kept at a constant 35 degrees Fahrenheit.

When we get an order, we cut the bulbs off, wrap ‘em up nice, and put them in water.

The next day or two, they will look like this (thanks to Fred Garcia for this awesome photograph).

They’ll keep opening and getting more gorgeous for about five to seven more days.  It helps to cut them every two days or so and to check their water frequently.

We should have tulips available for the next three weeks.  Please contact us if you’re interested.