Well the old man can embed a video too!

This one is  better quality than the other and made about 2 weeks later.  I'm learning all this high tech stuff slowly (not so sure about surely).
We had some rain last night, finally enough to wet the ground!

Just about 2 inches!  I've been waiting for the ground to pick up some moisture before laying plastic mulch so this should help a lot.  Have to get to work now.

Phil

Greenhouse video

Dad is getting high-tech.

Dry spring

Mid April and still very little rain this spring. It has made it nice to get field work done but is starting to get a little scary. We are forecast to get some rain today and the next few days also. Hope we do,the ground is pretty dry. Also with this 'good' weather I don't have any excuse for being behind.

In the greenhouse the peppers are all transplanted and growing. The tomatoes are all seeded and in the germination chamber. If you go to the garden centers you can see plants big enough to set out but I prefer to "plant after my neighbors rather than replant with them". That being said this mild spring it would have been nice to have a high tunnel. I know the greenhouse heat bill will be less than usual.

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April brings no showers

Mom says, "Now that the weather is nice and we have lot's to write about, I don't want to be in at the computer.  I'd be rather be outside doing stuff." So, here's what they are doing today:


Dad is spreading manure, or to put it nicely, adding organic matter to the soil.  It's a two tractor job.

  

The greenhouse is filling up.  After starting the first peppers right after it was covered, Dad has now moved on to planting seeds for the early tomatoes.  Mom has been transplanting peppers from the small flats (244) to large (36 or 48).  She started out working in her carhart overalls, but soon changed to lighter gear late this morning, and now she took a break for somewhere cooler.  Even on a mild day with a brisk breeze the greenhouse gets hot.

What else is planted?  Besides tomatoes and LOTS of peppers, there is some lettuce (shown above), cabbage and other cole crops, and onions.

Maybe we will soon get some April showers and the people who are doing all this work will have time to come inside and post something.

Greenhouse redone

Dad has been busy fixing & recovering the greenhouse.  He's redone some of the frame and replaced the translucent plastic with a clear, sturdier polycarbonate.  Here are a few pictures that I took, until it rains and he is inside working on the computer again.

all the old plastic, and the box containing the new roll of plastic

 You can see through the the ends now!

Putting on the plastic

Even Charlie helped.

Dramatic video of second layer of plastic being pulled over: http://youtu.be/Ojsn6krNtU8

SNOW!! and Birds

After a mild winter with only 1 decent snow (Jan. 21st) this week has been the exception. It started off mild but a wet clinging snow came Wednesday.

Thursday was milder and most of the snow on the southern slopes melted. Friday afternoon snow started falling again. By dark or shortly afterward the ground was snow-covered again. PennDot was out on our road by 8PM. Predictions were 1 to 3 " then 2 to 4". Last I checked a total of 5" by Sunday. We also have a lot of wind so there is a lot of blowing snow with almost zero visibility at times. So Kate went sled riding. Phil and Becky watched from the window until Phil decided it looked like enough fun to brave the wind and cold (16.5 F, 15 to 25mph). Well it was fun but Phil was wondering if it was wise for someone almost old enough for medicare to ride a toboggan.

Even the birds were hunkering down during the gusts and squalls.

And speaking of birds next weekend, Jan. 17 to 19 is the Cornell Great Backyard Bird Count. It is a chance for all bird watchers (amatuer to professional) to assist the Cornell Ornithology Lab. Go to http://www.birds.cornell.edu for more information.

Birds we regularly see at our feeders are:

Black-capped Chickcadee http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-capped_Chickadee/id/ac

Tufted Titmouse http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Tufted_Titmouse/id/ac

Slate Colored Junco http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Dark-eyed_Junco/id/ac

Nuthatch http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-breasted_Nuthatch/id/ac

Northern cardinal http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Cardinal/id/ac

House Finch http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/House_Finch/id/ac

Mourning Dove http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mourning_Dove/id/ac

European Starling http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/European_Starling/id/ac

Red Bellied Woodpecker http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-bellied_Woodpecker/id/ac

Downy Woodpecker http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Downy_Woodpecker/id/ac

Wild Turkey http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wild_Turkey/id/ac

sparrows that I don't know well

and occasionally

Sharp-shinned Hawk http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sharp-shinned_Hawk/id/ac

Lots of other bird spieces are around the farm but these are the most frequently seen around the feeders. What do you see at in your backyard?? Let cornell know next weekend!

CHOCOLATE!!

We were in Hershey Pennsylvania this week for the Mid Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Conference. (1/31/12-2/2/12).

Our growers' association is one of the sponsors for the convention. Besides Pennsylvania growers from New Jersey, Maryland, New York, Delaware, West Virginia, Virginia and other states were present.

This beeswax and parafin sculpture was in one of the resturants at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center.

The weather was very mild and certainly different from last year. High temperature on Tuesday of 60. Becky and Phil took advantage of this to go on some lunchtime walks on the beautiful grounds.

Besides meetings covering all sorts of items of interest to vegetable and fruit growers there was a trade show with over 150 vendors. Everthing from equipment to chemicals to containers to farm groups to supplies to seeds and plants. This was with a seed company's display.

Oh, there was food also! Becky took this picture for the flowers but Phil liked the the food on the table.

So we learned some things, saw some friends, even went in the pool and hot tub one evening. Mostly got some ideas to try this year and our enthusiasm cranked up a little for a new season. Spring will be here soon!!

Snow...finally!

Seven inches of snow blanketed the farm on Saturday morning (1/21/2012).  Phil put the heater on the diesel tractor while we shoveled porches and paths.  Then he plowed the driveways.  We took a walk through the snowy woods on Sunday.  Temperatures soared to the 50s on Monday and the snow melted.

Douds Floyd Farm made another winter squash delivery to the food pantry on Tuesday.  Would you like to freeze some squash?  Would you like to feed a crowd with squash soup?  All remaining squashes are BIG (10 pounds)...OR HUGE(15-20pounds)... OR ENORMOUS(more than 20 pounds)!  Go to "Happy New Year" Jan. 4 post to see what you'd be preparing.  Contact us if you'd like to try one.

Visitors!  On Friday, about 3 dozen wild turkeys wandered up to our kitchen window.  They were pecking bugs from the soggy ground.

January 23...NATIONAL PIE DAY

Apple pie is our dessert of choice!  I made two with Melrose apples...one for a neighbor's birthday,

 and this one is ours!

Next week Douds Floyd Farm will be at the Mid-Atlantic Fruit & Vegetable Growers Convention.

Latest news....sort of

On January 3rd we reduced our stash of winter squash by about 100 spaghetti squash with a donation to the West Hills Food Pantry. We are planning another donation soon, so if you want any squash it would be best to call.

On January 13th and 14th Phil and Becky volunteered at the PA Farm Show, helping with the Pennsylvania Vegetable Growers' Association food booth. This was our view of the farm show:

We left Friday (1/13/2012), 8:30 AM, snow squalls until through the Allegheny Mountain tunnel, arrived in Harrisburg about 1 PM and waited (in traffic, for the shuttle bus, in traffic again) to finally get into the Farm Show complex at 2:45 just in time for our 3 to 9 PM shift. On Sat. we volunteered 8 AM til 3:30 PM, got something to eat and drove home. There may have been something to do with farming at the show but all we saw was soup, pies, salads, Strawberry Surprise and CROWDS!!

Actually we were glad to volunteer for the PVGA. It is a statewide association of vegetable growers we belong to. The money raised at the Farm Show and Ag Progress Days in August is used to support vegetable research and provide scholarships to ag students.

If you can't get to the Farm Show next year you can watch it live on the Pennsylvania Cable Network or check out this website for highlights of this year:

www.farmshow.state.pa.us

That's how we found out what went on.

Happy New Year

Along with a new year we got a new computer, a Toshiba Satellite P755-S5390 laptop. Thanks Kate! Perhaps with this faster and portable computer we will be updating this blog more, (another New Years resolution).

Part of our winter squash stash.