BEEHIVES!

A big thanks to Jeff from DC Honeybees for coming out on a COLD winter day to install our 5 new hives!

Our honeybees will arrive the first weeks of April (have you ever thought about how bees are shipped?) and I hope to have some nectar-rich flowers ready for their arrival.

I recognize more and more that our bees are not only important for the pollination they will provide for my vegetables or their delicious honey, but we are making a statement against the use of pesticides and in support of the bees. The consequences of Honeybee Colony Collapse Disorder have yet to be realized and I worry about all the ways we are making the environment unsuitable for pollinators. Think about installing a hive on your roof or in your backyard and help support the bees!

To read more on Colony Collapse Disorder, see the USDA briefings HERE

A Time for Generosity

Although I don't know them, my heart goes out to Pete's Greens Farm for the loss they sustained this past week. They lost their entire barn--$250,000 worth of crops, equipment, etc.--and are in need of help. Farmers nationwide make up a special community and this is time to support one of our own.

Please consider donating to help them get back on their feet, to grow, and prosper.

http://www.petesgreens.com/Fire.html

In solidarity,

Farmer Mo

Farmers Love Snow!

While I am personally enjoying the mild winter we are experiencing and am thrilled to not see another "Snowpocalypse", farmers actually really like the snow!

Snow serves as a type of protection for the ground during the winter and is much better than rainy wet weather. Too much rain in the winter water-logs the soil and makes it hard to plant in the early spring as the ground is too wet and seeds can rot. Snow, on the other hand, holds nitrogen and sulphur in the soil and it releases moisture slowly in to the soil. It also protects better than freezing-thawing-freezing conditions we are currently having which can leach the nutrients from the soil. Bring on the snow!

And, to be honest, there's not a lot more peaceful than a snow-covered farm. Check out my friends farm last winter:

DC Honeybees: Arcadia Rocks DC Honeybees

We're getting BEES! We are really excited about the partnership with DC Honeybees and the potential for pollination, honeybee preservation and, of course, LOCAL HONEY!

DC Honeybees: Arcadia Rocks DC Honeybees: "Arcadia Center For Sustainable Food and Agriculture is an organic farm that is the brainchild of Neighborhood Restaurant Group’s leader, Mic..."