The Market Garden

Thanks to the mild weather this spring, work has been going on steadily in the market garden. Lots of cleanup, soil amending and tilling. We'll be putting spring greens in the ground tomorrow (weather permitting) but for now, enjoy these pictures of baby plants under grow lights.

Our CSA is almost full for the season. If you're thinking of joining, please send us an email to confirm space is still available.

A kid and 6 kits

What an exciting day on the farm--in fact the entire weekend was full of exciting things. Part of our mission at terravita farms is to introduce people to endangered breeds of livestock in the hope that one day they too will want to raise them and ensure their survival. We're happy to report that two more farms are now raising the critically endangered American Chinchilla rabbit. Congratulations to Tammy in Ohio and Chris in North Carolina on their new charges. Each of them purchased a trio of weaned rabbit kits, 1 buck and 2 does, to start their American Chinchilla rabbit herds. We wish them and the rabbits all the very best!

For more information on endangered breeds of livestock, visit the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. We've been members for years and enthusiastically support their work.

An American Chinchilla rabbit kit and admirer

Everything always happens at once on the farm, especially in spring. As we were waiting for our second American Chinchilla rabbit buyer to arrive this afternoon I ran out to the barn to make sure everything was in order. I peeked in the goat stall and did a double-take. In front of me was a newly born Toggenburg goat kid, Nigella's first. She was due on Friday March 16 but this being her first freshening, a late kidding is normal. What isn't normal is for the kidding to take place in the middle of the day. Usually it happens in the wee hours of the morning--the most inconvenient time! The little doeling looked great, Nigella was cleaning her off and the afterbirth was beginning to pass. As I looked over my shoulder to the driveway, our guests were arriving! They didn't stay long, considering the circumstances--I was a little distracted--but left with their 3 rabbit kits and a hank of Jacob yarn which they couldn't resist.

Nigella and her doeling

Nigella can't stop cleaning her off!

Take time to smell the flowers

Last fall we planted 1,000 daffodil bulbs between the fruit trees in our new orchard. The plan was to offer them for sale to Village Flower Basket in Granville, Oh. It's now spring, the daffodils are blooming and we're cutting them daily for delivery to the florist. We learned that counter to our desire to present the florist with a big bouquet of beautiful flowers, for their purposes they need to receive the flowers tightly budded (closed). I must admit that it's much less of an impact when you show up with a bouquet of tightly closed flowers so I've included pictures of what they look like when they're open.

Should you need daffodils for a special occasion or just to celebrate spring, please contact us for quantities and pricing--hurry, the season will be over before you know it!

These flowers are ready for the florist.

Gertrude and Edward are proud to present:

After 3 years of false starts, our Pomeranian Saddleback geese are the proud parents of 8 little goslings--100% hatch rate. It's been a little over a week since they hatched and we're glad to report that parents and goslings are doing great!