April showers ...

My obsession with the weather is reaching new levels this week, as it rains, and rains, and rains.
I am constantly checking - the sky, the soil, the forecast...
The results - the sky is grey, the soil is cold & wet, and the forecast promises more clouds, showers & rain.

Where is the sunshine? Where is the warmth?  Where is spring?

Around the farm it looks like this...

Rubber boots are the footwear not of choice - but of necessity.
Driving anywhere on the farm cannot even be considered with anything except the tractor, and even then the route must be carefully planned to avoid the wettest areas.

And yet ...
For all the stressing & anxiety I know we have little to complain about. Our weather is just an inconvenience compared to the extreme weather events happening elsewhere.

The good news ...
- The buds on the fruit trees are advancing - slow & steady.
- I was able to get an oil spray on the pears & plums Monday. This is an important spray as the oil covers & suffocates insect eggs before they can hatch, reducing pesticide applications later in the season.
- Yesterday I was able to get another planting of snow peas in the ground. Good thing too, as it rained again overnight & today.
- The first planting of peas is finally up.

- In the greenhouse the herb & vegetable seedlings are looking good.


The spearmint especially likes the cooler weather.

The tomato plants are small - but that's okay since the ground is not ready for them yet.










- Today we were able to work outside for much of the day - pruning raspberries, tying blackberries, and raking brush in the cherry orchard. When it rained we would dash into the greenhouse and transplant tomatoes.

The rains are supposed to continue for the next few days, along with thunderstorms and even the possibility of hail.
But the 7 day forecast shows a bit of sun and mild temperatures.
Good news indeed!