Farm Happenings

This morning I spent several productive hours working outside in the garden.  First up was a quick weeding of the previously mulched garlic.  And the weeds turned into much appreciated cow chow.

Next, I transplanted my first batch of 60 tomato plants which I started from seed in mid-February.   The nice surprise in this task was finding earthworms galore as I dug the holes for the tomatoes.  All of that hard work in soil improvement is most definitely paying off.

A few days ago, I retrieved a small swarm of bees from one of my hives.  Luckily, the swarm settled down in a semi-dwarf apple tree which made the job of getting them into a new hive almost trivial.

Lastly, I wrote another guest post for Robb Wolf this week about Growing Sweet Potatoes.  Please check it out.

Thanks for reading.

Honey Bee Trivia

While I was never a huge fan of the TV show Cheers, I did have a certain fondness for the character Cliff Clavin.  Cliff had the ability to spew out useless trivia like no one else (well, except for me).  Like Cliff, when I stumble upon information I find interesting, I assume that everyone else will find it equally interesting. 

So with my best Cliff Clavin voice, here are a few facts you may not (but should) know about honey bees.

Vulnerable Times in the Bee Yard

Great news!  After a quick peek inside my bee colonies a few days ago, 19 out of 20 hives made it through the winter (so far).  But just like a Vegas gambler on a winning streak, each surviving colony is in the process of going “all in,” betting on new food being available within a few weeks.  Honestly this is a bet that each hive must make if they are to survive and grow new bees to replace the withered ones that lasted through the winter.