Farm Tour Friday 1/28/2022
Yes it's Friday! Can you guess what happened this week on the farm? If you guessed that it snowed again you would be correct. Not only did it snow but it snowed a lot. We received an additional 10 inches of snow on top of the large snow storm we had last week. It seemed as though every time I looked outside we had several more inches of snow and I was back out cleaning the driveway and high tunnels.
A fresh blanket of snow fell on the farm covering the high tunnels with more snow.
We also had some really cold temperatures this week. One morning it was -11°F when we woke up. We knew the temperature was going to be bitterly cold and we made sure the farm was as ready as it cold be. We were checking the stove in the barn more often to keep it going and not let it die down. The walk-in cooler where the dahlias are being stored for winter got a small heater inside with the door shut over night. Normally we keep the little heater just on the outside of the door with it open a bit. We do this to keep the air moving and make sure it doesn't get too warm in there, 40°F - 50°F is the range we try to keep the tubers. However when it gets into the negative degrees we need to shut the door. We don’t want the dahlia tubers to freeze as that would make them totally useless. Our chickens, ducks, and geese also got more straw for bedding, more feed to keep their calories up to help them stay warm, and the heater in their water tank was working over time. It’s a full time job to keep the farm running when it get this cold.
Our walk-in cooler storing the dahlia tubers.
Prince Buddy and his hens hanging out in the chicken coop.
Once everything was taken care of outside for the morning we continued to divided dahlia tubers. We moved our dividing dahlia set up from the barn to the dining room of the house right by the wood stove. I don’t mind the mess in the house as long as it means the dahlias are getting divided and work was getting done. We say that there can be no zero days something has to be accomplished each day now to stay on track.
Kate dividing dahlias.
Even with the snow and the cold temperatures the propagation house was running smoothly. When I went to check on the ranunculus I was pleasantly surprised by all the new growth. They are starting to send up some little green leaves and more corms are developing more roots. It was refreshing to see signs of new life when the farm is covered in a blanket of snow.
A new ranunculus plant.
Anemones that are ready for transplanting.
We had loads of fun in the snow too! We do love the winter season and make sure to enjoy it while it’s here. My girls went sled riding and then enjoyed hot chocolate when they came inside. My dad even went cross country skiing around the farm, he said it was beautiful. While my mom and I stayed inside taking some time to read a few books and finish another puzzle. Oh, and we dove into a new course we are taking that requires a 3 hour zoom meet once a week. We will let you know how we did at the end of the 10 weeks. It’s always important to take this down time to rest, recharge and continue our education.
Our supplies we received for the new course we are taking.
Kate’s girls- Anna, Isabel, Rosalyn, and Charlotte enjoying the snow.
Thanks for joining me for Farm Tour Friday. I hope you have a fantastic weekend!
