Sara here!
we have two weeks of farmers markets under our belt for this season so far! The Poulsbo market has pretty much doubled since last year, and it’s a whole new market! I’m now a raw goat milk convert, and can’t wait to try some locally made pasta! So far we’ve only had our overwintered kale, duck and chicken eggs and plant starts to offer, but it’s getting me super excited for the new season! The arugula and bok choi is looking good, we have some lettuce and spinach that is almost ready, and are transplanting (cilantro, leeks, onions, lettuce, parsnips, beets, kale, and chard) and seeding like mad (squash, melon, beans, greens, and beets) to get everything in. We mixed our own soil (3-4 parts compost, 3-4 parts topsoil, 1 part pearlite, 1 part vermiculite, and 1 part peat~~ water!) this year instead of buying pre-bagged seed starting mix and I must say that I’m liking the way it turned out. I’m also stoked to get the tomatoes in the greenhouses. We’ve run our chickens through them and I’m hoping that the extra nitrogen will be a benefit.
Our season is pretty short, and Jared and I are looking forward to getting some low tunnels up soon with the slitted row cover to hopefully extend the season. we used it before in our small garden’s raised beds, and liked the way it worked for those.
I will make a concerted effort to get some pictures of the market this next week and will get them up soon!
With the greenhouse work completed for the moment, I find myself waiting for the next dry stretch. In the last few breaks in the weather, we were able to weed garlic & strawberries, begin fruit tree planting, and plant out the remainder of our extra-early beds. I had prepped and mulched over some beds in the fall, and we have just finished seeding, transplanting, and row-covering these beds. There are two successions of peas and carrots that will likely be ready for the first CSA shares in late May, and we also planted Lettuce, Broccoli, Baby Bok Choi, and Spinach for early Farmer’s Markets in April & May. These will complement the early crops now occupying the greenhouses.
The question now is how soon ‘till the soil dries up enough to work in cover crop and begin making the new season’s beds. Hopefully it won’t be too long…
They are turning the dirt and hoping to be successful enough to turn a profit, and to become a valuable part of their communities as suppliers of organically grown food.
Peaceful Valley is giving them a head start by offering them special pricing as part of this Freshman Farmer program.
| Freshman: | |
| New Farms Coming Soon! | |
| Sophomores: | |
![]() | Daily Grace Farms Crescent City, CA |
![]() | Freestone Family Farm Vernal, UT |
![]() | Wise Moon Farm Redding, CA |
| Graduates: | |
![]() | Coyote House Farm Palermo, CA |
![]() | DeepSeeded Community Farm Arcata, CA |
![]() | Driftwood Farm Fort Bragg, CA |
![]() | EarthDance Farm St. Louis, MO |
![]() | Ellwood Canyon Farms Goleta, CA |
![]() | Four Frog Farm Penn Valley, CA |
![]() | Hand Sown Homegrown Heritage Farm Poulsbo, WA |
![]() | Home Plate Organic Farm Orleans, CA |
![]() | Honey in the Heart Farm Nevada City, CA |
![]() | Willow Springs Farm Penn Valley, CA |
| Coyote House Farm Palermo, CA |
| Daily Grace Farms Crescent City, CA |
| DeepSeeded Community Farm Arcata, CA |
| Driftwood Farm Fort Bragg, CA |
| EarthDance Farm St. Louis, MO |
| Ellwood Canyon Farms Goleta, CA |
| Four Frog Farm Penn Valley, CA |
| Freestone Family Farm Vernal, UT |
| Hand Sown Homegrown Heritage Farm Poulsbo, WA |
| Home Plate Organic Farm Orleans, CA |
| Honey in the Heart Farm Nevada City, CA |
| Willow Springs Farm Penn Valley, CA |
| Wise Moon Farm Redding, CA |