Signs of Spring

Yes, I agree.  It’s a little early for spring.  But when the Apricots are blooming, it’s undeniable.

I grafted another apricot variety (Scout) onto one of our volunteer apricot trees.  It turns out these grafted branches bloom sooner than the canopy of the tree.  Having two different blooming times gives us better luck of escaping the danger of a hard frost after the blossoms open. Crossing our fingers for fruit!
I went to town this year with the early seed starting.  I’m growing kale, chard, lettuce, broccoli, collards, cilantro, and parsley for our outdoor gardens, for the Madrid Community Garden, and for a few special friends.  The greenhouse is full to capacity. Our Watershed Restoration Campaign during February went amazingly.  We exceeded our financial goal and have gotten a good start on the work.  We created a Zuni Bowl at the top of the head cut that had formed during the flooding last September.  There is still plenty to do, but this accomplishment is major.  Thanks for everyone’s support! And last but not least, Spring brings text messages like, Do you want a case of organic bananas?  Well, not every Spring.  We are pleased to put the dehydrator to use again, taking advantage of the next few days of sun.  And because we didn’t seem to fit him into the online fundraising, our kitten, Sunshine. Written by Amanda Bramble