rain and weeds

So the last two days I've been running around making preparations for two new species that will reside on the farm for a while: my sheep & Severine's rabbits. More pictures to come! Meanwhile, we're busy as usual. Here's some of the various things we've been up to:

Wheel-hoeing (in the garlic, because it's too high to cultivate):


Fixing irrigation boxes from sunken mud-filled pits like this:

To nice accessible boxes like this:

Watering the greenhouse (check out the summer squash!):

I cultivated the peas with the Basket-Weeder.

Laying down frost-cloth (Remay) to protect from frost & insect damage:
Uncovering Remay to cultivate & weed underneath:
Weeding carrots & greens on hands & knees:
And planting stuff! Look at these onions, ready to go in the ground!

We also planted spinach & some lettuce with the big whompin' transplanter. Onions plant really well with it, but lots of spinach plants go in sideways, upside-down, & get clogged in the machine because of their big leaves. Still a lot faster than if we planted by hand.

Oh yeah, planting potatoes:

And covering them up (hilling):

Nick read the entire John Deere manual for the new tractor and now has full rights to drive it all over the farm, which he does. (He's been rototilling a lot)
We got a hard frost last night, but everything survived okay.

And the chicks are peeping & the mama hen's clucking!