It was way too rainy to even think about doing field work so we concentrated on transplanting tomatoes from seed flats to peat pots. The following varieties were worked on today:

These ones we have tried

• Our secret delectable Magicland Farms variety
• Aunt Gertie’s Gold – a heirloom variety that produces very tasty tomatoes

These are new varieties for us

• Stump O’ the World – a large pink heirloom
• Delicious – developed by Burpee from their Beefsteak tomato
• Rocky – a heirloom paste or sauce tomato
• Virginia Sweets – an heirloom gold/red bicolor tomato
• Giant Belgium – a large dark pink heirloom variety
• Aunt Ginny’s – a purple heirloom variety

We also transplanted some eggplant:

• Primetime
• Cloud Nine – a white eggplant
• Vittoria
• Night Shadow
• Nadia

Taking advantage of the decent weather today, more vegetables and herbs got planted today. We planted cabbage, carrots, parsnips, cutting celery and dill.

Yesterday, we finished transplanting the onions – Riverside variety. Matthew made a new door for the high tunnel which also got installed. The old one gave out and couldn’t be repaired so he constructed a new one.

The crew also pruned the new fruit trees.

Tomorrow might be the day the next patch of sweet corn gets planted.

We have been trying to take advantage of the weather to get some of the early crops planted. Last week, we got the ground ready for planting the cabbage, for example, but then the rains came and made it impossible to plant.

Well, today’s weather was much more cooperative so some planting got done today. The kohlrabi, broccoli, cabbage and beets were planted. I believe that we are going to try to get another patch of sweet corn planted this week, weather permitting.

Even though the weather wasn’t good for planting yesterday, the crew managed to clear out the rest of the brush from the orchard. Pruning the trees over the winter leaves quite a bit of brush to clear and it is not one of the favorite things to do in the orchard. So everyone was quite pleased that this task got completed fairly quickly.

This morning some tomatoes were transplanted from seed flats to peat pots. Among the varieties transplanted were Big Beef, Black Prince, Green Zebra, Cherokee, Mortgage Lifter, Martin, Sun Sugar and our secret variety that provides a lot of the delicious slicing tomatoes you find at Magicland Farms during the summer. If you haven’t tried any of our heirloom tomatoes yet, make sure to give them a try; they are a tasty treat!

With all the fuss about Earth Day and climate change that you hear nowadays, here is a easy way to go green: Going green as simple as buying local.

Besides all of the good things you do for the environment, the food tastes better and you help support your local farmers. A win-win situation for everyone involved!

Today was quite a busy day at Magicland Farms.

We planted the first sweet corn today. Two different types were planted: an extra early Bicolor and Spring Treat (a yellow variety.) About 1/2 an acre was planted.

Also the crew worked on getting the high tunnel fixed up so that it will be ready when we start to plant tomatoes in there. I think just the door is left to work on. Then we are good to go.

Meanwhile back at home, the girls transplanted some tomatoes from the seed flats into peat pots and put them in our outdoor greenhouse. Among the varieties transplanted were Big Beef, Paul Robeson (a great black heirloom), Kellogg’s Breakfast (a great pale orange heirloom) and Super Marzano (a paste tomato).

Things are moving right along.

The crew was very busy at the farm on Friday and Saturday.

On Friday, they finished up the strawberry planting and got the electric fence going so the deer don’t have a feast. Then a couple of varieties of onions got planted – Red Defender and Ailsa Craig. Friday afternoon brought an unexpected delivery of fruit trees we had ordered last year – mainly peaches, plums and HoneyCrisp apples (we knew they were coming, we just didn’t know when). Since those need to be planted quickly, we knew what our schedule would be for Saturday.

All of the trees got planted on Saturday, along with a couple of flats of Montero onions. These onions we are planting are the ones we started in the basement this winter. Unfortunately we found out that the onions we planted last fall did not survive the winter and so we will not have our famous Newaygo Newaygo onions this year. We are hopeful, though, that the varieties we are planting now will be just as good.

Well, we have officially moved out of our winter mode and into spring planting season.

Last week, time was spent disking the fields where we are going to plant the strawberries, the peas, the potatoes and the early sweet corn. Those are the first things that get planted in the spring. Much more to follow. Last Friday, we uncovered the onions that were overwintered in the field. We hope they survived the winter!

This past Wednesday (April 15) all of the peas were planted. We have three varieties of sugar snap peas and one variety of snow peas (Oregon Giant). Peas are a cool weather crop and one of the first things we plant each year.

Yesterday the crew planted the new strawberry plants that were ordered this year. The next thing to do is to make sure the deer don’t get them and start up the electric fence. Once everything is set with the strawberries, our next project is to plant the onions that were started in the basement this winter.

Stay tuned for more updates as we move through the planting season.