So often during these gray months people ask me, "So... what do you do on the farm this time of year?"  And so often I answer, "Oh, you know, maintenance and planning..."  A vague, lethargic answer; talking Excel spreadsheets is not quite as captivating as slicing sun-warmed tomatoes.  Yet while it is true that winter has a way of slowing things, we remain busy bees here at Queens Farm - busier than ever, in fact - mapping out the 2010 season as spring hurdles forth.

Of course I am anxious, excited to till last October's rye and to transplant eager seedlings.  I yearn for blazing hot days, colinear hoe (freshly-sharpened this week) in hands... Days when my back aches but I feel strong; not like these days, pale and soft.  Anticipation aside, though, I cherish winter days.  When it snows everything seems still on the farm, so still that I almost don't believe that I am in the city (especially when I am talking to our Brown Swiss calf).  Such quietude allows for reflection and preparation, and that is what we do this time of year.  Or, at least, part of what we do...

Harvesting never halted at Queens Farm (we have faithful customers at the Union Square Greenmarket on Fridays!).  We sowed lettuces, mustards, kale, beets, and tatsoi last October so that we would be able to cut the tender leaves throughout the cold months.  Three different growing conditions allow for a range of flavors and textures: Bed boxes in our glass greenhouse bear the most delicate and mild leaves, as they have not had to brave the elements; coldframes protect cold-sweetened arugula, which is just now ready to be cut; and a simple hoop house with in-ground beds (nestled under floating row cover, an additional layer of warmth) offers spicy and sugary greens, reflective of hot days and freezing nights.

And just as we and our greens keep on keepin' on, so do our animals.  Though snow-covered pasture frustrates our RI Reds, they seem delighted with their new organic feed (from Lightning Tree Farm), which we mix with wheat berries (donated by the Brooklyn Brewery).  They also seem happy with their fresh butternut wood chip bedding (brought to us from Charles White's woodshop in Ridgewood, Queens).  The winter does not deter our two pigs, who playfully snarf the Brooklyn Brewery wheat berries and rolled oats, along with the snow.  Four new piglets await at Triform Camphill Community, and we look forward to fattening them up in our woodland.  Frost-seeded with clover this morning, our orchard pasture is prepared for our Cotswold sheep.  Their plush winter coats will be sheared in May, at about the same time our own coats will be shed for the summer.

So, tools are shiny and sharp, lined-up and prepared for duty.  Seeds are en route from Johnny's, Seed Savers Exchange, Fedco, Baker Creek, High Mowing Organic Seeds, and Long Island Cauliflower Association.  Potting soil, fresh from McEnroe Organic Farm, is ready to nourish; amendments, Kelp from Maine and Super N 4-2-4 from Fertrell, are ready to replenish.  Yes, we are ready... or are we?  Nature laughs at my spreadsheets; she doesn't always seem to care about the hours I spend organizing supplies and planning seeding dates, successional plantings, and harvest periods.  No, she will do things her way and we will do our best to keep up.  So here's to spring - to attempts and lessons to be learned - and to humility and gratitude for the bounty it is sure to bring.


Kennon Kay
Director of Agriculture