PEAS Farm News: Has Spring really sprung?

Is it too early to think that Spring is actually here?  I am going to say no (with a farmer’s optimism).  Especially considering the amount of snow that melted three weeks ago and came rushing out the north hills and flooding through the center of the PEAS Farm.  Whether we can believe the long Montana winter has completely passed or not, one thing I do know is that farming activities have begun up at the PEAS Farm.  Over the past four weeks Garden City Harvest staff and UM students have begun working to get the farm ready for a new season of growing delicious, healthy food.

So far we have carrots planted in the hoophouse, and many seedlings in the greenhouse are already up including onions, leeks, and early greens like a kale, cabbage, bok choy, and mustards.  We have also been hard at work pruning the fruit trees in the orchard to ensure a healthy crop of apples, plums, and pears.  And we will be trying a new grafting technique with our heirloom tomatoes this year, hopefully leading to a more abundant harvest of fruit come July and August!

We will also be adding a new 3000-square-foot hoophouse at the PEAS Farm this spring to help us extend the growing seasons and grow a more diverse set of crops for our CSA members.  Construction of the new hoophouse will begin in early April, and was made possible through a loan/grant from the UM Kless Revolving Energy Loan Fund.

So I am happy to say that whether or not Spring is here for good, we are working hard at the PEAS Farm to be ready when it does!