Spring is near!

Well here it is Valentine's Day on the farm. We are having unusually warm weather, so now the apricot and almond trees are blooming. They are so lovely. Hopefully the ground squirrels won't eat all of our almonds this year. A pair of red-tailed hawks have moved into our enormous eucalyptus trees. They've raised young here before and we hope they will succeed again this year. They really keep the numbers of ground squirrels down!

We will soon begin planting seeds for the garden. I am planning on starting them in the green house so they won't have trouble with frost or be eaten by birds, insects, slugs or snails. We had a very successful melon crop last year, and I am hoping to do the same again this year. Tomatoes are my favorite, and we are also planning on potatoes, corn, various squashes, chard, kale, broccoli, cabbage, pole and bush beans, garlic, onions, flowers, and a variety of herbs. I would also like to try my hand at lettuce and carrots. The lettuce is problematic here in the "Byron Desert". The heat can be so intense right on the border of the Central Valley. Fortunately, most evenings cool down with winds from the San Francisco Bay through the Livermore hills. I am hoping the extra mulch and creative planting of plants with some shade will help keep the lettuces alive.