Taste of Spring

Vegetables never fail to fascinate me.  Watching something transform from a tiny seed to a living and growing plant is magical and mystical all at once.

Buttercrunch head lettuce took that fascination to an entirely new level for me this spring.  I've never grown head lettuce before, but after working for another urban farmer last season who grew it, I quickly got sucked in.  My favorite this season is this red buttercrunch, which is light green with a seductive reddish blush toward the ends of the leaves.  When I saw the heads starting to form a week and a half ago, I had to wipe the drool from my chin.

As long as this heat doesn't make them bolt (go to seed and become bitter), we should have a good harvest soon.

Urban Farming Perks

I was digging out some large rocks from one of the beds last night and a friend walked by.

Him - "Do you like Bud Light?"

Me - "No, I don't."

Him - "Well, I was going to buy you a six-pack or something 'cause you're working so hard!"

Every day brings new joy.

Wait, is this spring?

Kansas City welcomed the vernal equinox with 6 inches of wet, heavy snow.

Fortunately, it'll be mostly melted and out of the way today, but I couldn't help taking a few pictures while it was here.  This one is our two recently completed raised beds buried in snow.

A Green Winter

While many of my fellow Midwesterners have been huddled away inside during this hard winter, I've been getting a sneak peek of spring!

Through the Juniper Gardens Farm Business Development Program, I've been given space in KCCUA's greenhouse to start transplants.  My spring started in late January.  :)

Here's a shot of this year's first round of tomatoes...big and healthy!  We're trying a different method of starting transplants: soil blocking.  Instead of plastic inserts, we use a fancy tool to shape the soil into cubes.  This prevents a problem called root circling...I like it because it reduces our need for plastic.  Regardless, the litmus test is the quality of the transplants, and they're looking good so far!

Ah, spring time

The end of winter means yearning for spring to come.  It seems like all creation is groaning, struggling out from under the crust of snow, and emerging soggy and slightly bewildered.


It's times like these when I most crave fresh tomatoes...like this one I picked last August.  (Brandywine Pink)


Soon and very soon...