Spring has Sprung!

Chocolate tomatoes?!?
Wow--I've never heard of them, but they sound really interesting! A member of an internet group that I'm a part of says she has planted "chocolate tomatoes" in her garden this year.

As somewhat of a "tomato connesseur", ;o) I love the not-so-mainstream types. I've put out Cherokee Purple, Goliath Beefsteak, Oxheart, and Indian River--all heirlooms. I threw in a few Romas just for grins and giggles. Aside from that, I'm growing some Habanero and Caribbean Red HOT HOT HOT peppers to take to the Farmer's Market with me this summer. Soap, soy candles, and...hot peppers? What a combo! But, our local farmer's market coordinator is fine with it, so why not?

Since my last post, I've been up to my eyeballs in spring weeds in my gardens. Seems like we went straight from winter to early summer here in West Tennessee. We've got hairy vetch up to our waists--just in a week! Signed on my first "Tennessee Farm Chick" volunteer, a new friend's daughter, to come help me weed the raised-bed veggie garden in exchange for a candle. When it was all said and done, believe it or not, she elected to take three bars of soap instead of the candle! A nine-year old wanting bars of farm-made soap? Voluntarily clean kids? Oh my gosh, what's this world coming to?!? ;o)

We still have to tackle the perennial gardens at our Cottage farm stay. While I did get the roses all cut back just in time for new sprouts, and the English varities are starting to set buds, the weeds are creeping in there, too. My bleeding hearts, columbines, and creeping phlox are all in bloom right now, and the echinecea, hyssop, buddleia, and asters will not be far behind. My wisteria put on quite a show for the first time, this spring, and I believe I'll keep it trimmed into a small bush rather than allow it to take hold of my board fence.

Babies, babies, babies around the farm, too. We've had five sets of twin baby goats this spring, two pregnant Paint mares, a pregnant mini mare, a pregnant mini cow, and three donkey girls of whom we can't decide if they're expecting or not. This aside from a disappeared soon-to-be mama duck, on a nest in the barn, and a disappeared Bourbon Red turkey hen, probably on a nest somewhere in the neighboring woods. We'll see the trail of poults when she finally hatches them. And, finally, we have a desperate goose who is faithfully sitting a nest of rather large, unfertilized goose eggs in the stud pen. We can't convince her to come off the nest, so we'll allow her to realize on her own. Mental note to self--find a mate for her this year...

We've also added three new full-sized horses to our herd--Geronimo, Ebony, and, of course, Doc Holliday. Geronimo and Ebony are unregistered quarter horses, and they have all blended in quite well with the existing members. Falcon, of course, still insists on being top mare, and Rocky is content with napping in the wet grass in the warm spring sun. All is well.

And, that's about it from the farm. What's everyone else up to this fine spring?