I didn't realize how long it has been since I last blogged.  The time gets away from me.

So here's an update:

In the hoop house we have well over 100 tomato plants of various types.  They LOVE the hot, humid temps in the hoop house and are thriving.  The little plot of lettuce was planted is doing great.  It's a variety mix of greens and we have enjoyed them with our dinners.  Hopefully the hoop house will allow us to grow lettuce all year round.  We also have about 100 pepper plants:  green peppers, yellow peppers, jalapeno peppers and chili peppers I think.  They like the hot, humid temps too.  I don't, but I will have to just suffer.  It gets very hot in there at times.

Out in the fields we have 3-4 types of onions:  chives, vadalia, candy apple, and something else.  We have red and russet potatoes planted as well as garlic that was planted last fall. 

The corn (sweet and organic popcorn), squash, zucchini are just starting to sprout out of the ground and some of the various peas are sprouting as well.  The upper field we used last year has okra, turnips, mustard, rutabagas and sunflowers. 

The fruit trees are great - the pears and peaches are full of fruit.  The apple trees are slower to fruit and may not actually have any apples this year.  The blue berry bushes have some berries but nothing really to speak of; just enough for Cris and I to enjoy this year.  The blackberry bushes as thriving and have grown from 4 little plants to over 10 plants. 

The strawberry plants have fruit on them despite being planted this year.  Next year will be a better producing year.  I love the fact that they are perennials and we don't have to replant them next year.

This past weekend Cris and I planted 100 asparagus plants.  They need a year to really start producing and again, they are perennials so I like that! 

The modular home was installed about a month ago and hopefully this week Clayton Homes will complete all the minor repairs we have requested.  We have started to move a few items in but are waiting to really start moving in until they have completed the repairs.  The utility company has installed poles and electric lines and the electrician will install the meter and get electric to the house this Friday.  Next comes the septic system and then the well.  The ac/heater unit will have to wait until late summer so we will use window ac units to keep us cool until then.  The home is not huge; only 1200 sq feet so it won't take much to cool the rooms.  The breezeway between our portion of the house and the 2nd bedroom (Alex's room) is a covered deck which offers the nicest breeze....guess that is way it is called a 'breezeway'.  We have a great view of the pond from the back and the fields from the front. 

We have been de-cluttering our home in Memphis to get it ready to put on the market within the next 6 weeks.  Alex moves into his dorm at college Aug. 25th so by then, we should be all moved into the farm home. 

We plan to sell on Saturday's either at the Bolivar Farmer's Market or the Cooper Young Farmer's Market.  We may try the Botanic Garden on Wednesday this year but then again, that may wait until next year.  This is our year to test the waters and see what it takes to sell at farmer's markets. 

It has rained at least twice a week so that has helped water the plants outside.  I had forgotten how much it rains in the Spring here.  Last year at this time we were busy building a barn and did not plant until June, which was when the rain stopped. 

We also plugged more mushroom logs a few weeks ago.  Hopefully this time we will grow some fungus!  Our logs from last year did not produce one single shroom. 

Cris found a patch of Morel Mushrooms in the woods and we were able to pick about 25 mushrooms total.  They are hard to find and it was by luck that he found this patch.  We have not been able to find anymore. They were so delicious.  Cris made a pasta dish that was just pasta, the Morel mushrooms, some garlic and butter and it was one of the best dishes he has ever made.  Alex raved too so that really says something.  The flavor of fresh Morels is like no other.  They have a short growing season though so we will have to wait until next year to find more.  Once the ground heats up to a certain temp, they stop growing.  The good thing is that we can go back to the same spot next year and they will be growing there again.

Weed control - being an organic farm, we do not use any non-organic pesticides or weed killer.  So, that means, alot of weeding by hand at times.  One way we are trying to keep the weeds down is by using hay.  We have hay rolls from last year's field cutting and we spread the hay in between the rows of plants to keep the weeds/grass from growing.  It has worked well with the strawberries.  We spread a bunch of hay in the hoop house last weekend and that is helping to keep the grass from growing around the tomato plants.  Fire ants are a problem too so we use the 'grits' method of fire ant removal.  We spread instant grits on the fire ant mound and within 2 weeks, the ants are gone.  Seems they eat the grits and the grit expands and it kills them. I love the Internet....you can find anything! 

Pond - our fish are so great!  They are reproducing like crazy and the brim are growing nicely..... within a few mos. I think they may be large enough to catch and eat!  They are so well trained too.  They hear us pull up on the atv's and come swimming to the edge to be fed. 

We have our first farm animal - it's a Scottish Highland calf and her name is Hyacinth.  She is staying with her momma on our friend's farm until we have a place for her at our farm.  She is no bigger than a dog and she knows her name.  Scottish Highland have a great temperament and do not get huge like an Angus cow.   Our friend names all her cows starting with the letter "H".  There's a Hamilton, Hero, Hannah.  Since our first calf is named Hyacinth, we are going to name our heifers/cows (females) with flower names.  Don't think we will name the males since they will become dinner.  Our friends named the pig they planned to butcher, "Freezer".  I like that.  :)

I will take pictures this weekend and post them.  I will try to make a video too soon.