Farm-ily,
A groundhog by any other name… is a woodchuck. Or, if you’re my grandmother in West Virginia, a whistle pig. According to the real experts at NOAA, this furry little meteorologist is also an incompetent weather man, and a mere 35% of his predictions are accurate. Thankfully, farmers don’t put much stock in the results of Mr. Punxsutawney Phil’s yearly rituals (possibly because his cousins have made repeated attempts to poach our carrot crops). Six more weeks of winter sounds daunting, until a glance at the calendar reassures us that the first official day of Spring isn’t until March 20th anyway!
February 2nd falls on an astronomical benchmark called a cross-quarter day. Cross-quarter days fall between each solstice and equinox, marking the halfway point of a season. No matter what Phil or his feral family members say, we are only halfway through the winter that began on the solstice, the shortest day of the year. Spring arrives when the daylight hours equal the dark: the vernal equinox. The Earth’s spatial relationship to the sun has been important to human cultures since our most ancient ancestors first began to practice agriculture, and for good reason. We often think that the ambient temperatures are the most crucial seasonal factor for plant growth; available daylight is actually just as important.
In the greenhouse, we can influence soil and air temperature to encourage seeds to germinate and seedlings to sprout. This week, as the snow wafts down outside, that’s exactly what we’re up to. The first trays filled are the spring onions, followed by the new wave of brassicas. Onions are one of the longest processes on the farm, both starting and ending in the greenhouse. Those same threadlike little greens migrate to the fields, where they’re one of the first massive harvests completed by our new seasonal crew. Then, they return to the greenhouse where seed tables have been converted to wire-screen drying racks for curing alliums. We’ll store thousands of pounds of onions once their skins have dried tough and papery. By the time groundhogs and cross-quarter days cross our minds again, these onions will be nearly gone and a new crop will be peeking out in the greenhouse once again!
Tasks like seeding, among others, make the last 6 weeks of winter pass in a blur of rewarding labor. As we wait for that all-important benchmark of daylight, we’ll use every moment. In the greenhouse, spring comes when we call to it; groundhogs can neither rush nor delay the changing seasons. Cheers to the timing of nature and the whimsical ways we mark it.
Eat Well and Be Well,
Ashley, Collin, Alexandra, Gabe, and Finn the Farm Dog - Your Winter Willowsford Farm Crew
