Very Local Produce

Clearing the community path and separating seedlings

Nothing feels more like Spring than planting a garden, and at the New Norris House that's exactly what happened this weekend. Mary, Eric, and I spent some time doing general yard maintenance, and we also planted the raised vegetable beds. The beds were designed and built by students last summer, and we used stockpiled dirt from the house foundation excavation to fill the beds. We also added any vegetative waste produced from clearing the invasive plants, and let the soil sit all winter long. Now it is a beautiful, rich soil filled with worms and ready to produce!

We planted rainbow swiss chard, red cabbage, cauliflower, heirloom tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, carrots, fennel, arugula, gourds, and cucumbers. We also planted zinnias for cut flowers and to attract pollinators. In a few months we should have a huge harvest. Keep your fingers crossed and maybe we can add a County Fair Biggest Vegetable Award to our accomplishments!

We began by properly spacing all the plants before digging any holes

See the rich, dark soil under the hay?

As part of our efforts to collect and re-use the rainwater that falls on our site, our vegetable beds will be irrigated via a 200 gallon cistern located at the low end of the beds. The irrigation cistern is currently full of rainwater and ready to be used. We're looking forward to a summer of sustainable farming - right in the backyard!

Springtime in Norris

One day after the first day of spring, flowering plants are already in bloom, grasses are growing, and insects are buzzing. It’s a beautiful time of year in this part of the country! The winter was the fourth warmest on record, and plants are coming out of dormancy sooner than usual. Most of the country had a mild winter and is seeing warm temperatures already (see this map showing land surface temperature anomalies in North America).

buds on the dogwood tree in the front yard

Temperatures in the past week have reached the high 70s and even into the 80s. The average temperature for March is in the low 50s, so the heat is rather early this year; 80 degree temps don’t usually hit until May.

buds on the plants on the side of the driveway

Along with the blooms and warmer air come allergies, the sound of lawn mowers, and longer daylight hours. The bees and wasps are out and often hit the windows as they fly around, looking for a place to make a nest. Crickets are already chirping at night.

wasp on the kitchen window

Although it’s been warm during the day, the house is comfortable inside. Windows and ceiling fans keep the air circulating. Nighttime temperatures are still in the 50s, helping the house stay cooler during the daytime.

many redbuds are in bloom throughout norris

The leaves on the trees we see out the kitchen window haven’t quite filled in yet, so we’ll have a view of the sunrise for a little while longer. Next week the forecast calls for rain and temperatures in the 70s--hopefully bringing a reprieve from the heat for a while longer yet.

sunrise through the trees