The storm left last night….pushing itself up and over the mountains in the north and the north east…the setting sun cast lovely lights of pink as the rain or snow showers played across the foothills
Terry worked late plowing.
When it comes to the soil everything has to come together in a perfect dance….right now the soil is ideal for creating soft malleable soil. Time is of the essence….plow up the land, let it freeze then go back in with the roller, smash the plowed dirt, then run the disk over it so it’s all nice and soft, but also firm. Capable of holding water. Then mark out the furrows.
After which we will pre-irrigate…wait one week, then plant.
The irrigation water will start down our canal April 1st. The onion farmers have already asked for water and have received it this week.
Winter is ending. (Thankfully) We may have more snow and we will have more wind, but the ground is saying NOW. Now is the time to prepare for planting.
So for Now the ending of our last storm has happened. The soil is perfect for farming.
Today is cold, but clear with a hint of the true Spring yet to come.
Your friend,
Linda
Life on a Colorado Farm 
my gosh, the year went quickly! seems just a couple of month ago you were starting on the water irrigation!
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I love the knowledge and patience and understanding when is the right time to do things. Sounds like raising kids to me.
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Oh, I meant to mention: the photos are beautiful. The light is very special.
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Awesome, Linda! Our ground is still frozen…can’t even pull the winter weeds from the asparagus bed, and the garlic hasn’t poked its nose out up here. Frightfully late for us to still be this frozen.
If the onion farmers have asked for (and gotten) water, does that mean they’re setting-out, or just preparing?
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Your posts are an educationto the uninitiated like me…I never knew that there was so much involved in soil preparation. ?..it sounds as tho farm life is never ending..do you ever get a holiday. 0
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I love the sounds of spring! I think I hear grass growing and I’m certain that there are wee, tiny wheat leaves in my dry land. The robins are building nests.
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So much in life is a question of timing. In agriculture it is a question of perfect timing. Hope for a good spring for you guys, up there.
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Such a fine dance. Everything has to fall into place . Some wheat farmers had to reseed because of the wind last fall. They seeded and the wind blew the furrows closed. We do love their fertilized soil! 🙂
Cheri
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Down here, we’re slowly drifting into autumn. In the tropics, that means that plants which held on grimly during the intense heat and heavy rains of summer are now perking up and doing their stuff, and it also means it’s time for me to start thinking about the vegetable garden I want to put in. But that’ll have to wait. In 10 days, we’re off for an amazing holiday, and my raised beds are taking a back seat! Beautiful photos once again, ma’am.
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I got a taste of some gardening today as I helped a local co-op tend their garden. I helped pot plants, stablize tomato plants and best of all got to pull weeds. Which I do believe is my favorite part. Getting my fingers in the soil and seeing the results is just satisfying. I can imagine you and terry have the same feeling after doing the same thing but on a larger scale.
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Seems everything (so far) is falling into place for a hopefully successful planting for 2014.
Had a good giggle at Marie (Australia) and her comment on St. Paddy and the removal of snakes in the Emerald Isle.
By God he would have been overtaxed here in Australia, removing our “wonderful” (tongue in cheek) collection of the most venomous of the “families” of snakes – but still he could have bloody well tried, eh?
Still no rain – the winter, here, is going to be extremely hard on the people of the “outback”.
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How precise everything is in the way you prepare the soil. This is all so interesting, falling into natures rhythms and yet the water comes on a specified date.
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You know so much about soil! It sounds like everything is coming together just right. What will you plant? Are different things planted at different times? My spring work consists of picking out a couple of flowering plants at the garden center and hanging them on the wrought iron hooks outside my window.
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It would seem that farmers have to be specialized chemists to work the soil. As always I am so impressed with your knowledge.
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Yeah for you guys! I hope you have a good farming season! 🙂
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I learn so much here.. It makes sense that the soil temperature is so important , but I never would have thought of that. I always wondered how farmers knew when it was time.
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The ending of your storms….how great that must seem for you! Farmers are getting into the fields here, also. Getting ready to pre-water soon. We finally had a day without a sandstorm today! Was so nice! The winds will return tomorrow afternoon. Not to be quite as strong, tho.
Hope your foot is healing well. Blessings!
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My brother (NE Louisiana) has finally gotten all the corn in the ground. The wind has been awful here in SE Texas also. Poor Fuzzy, I bet he looked like a giant poof ball when the wind was done with him! LOL
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We are melting too and will have two days of sun, then a day of ice, then two days of sun, and then more cold. Terry’s plowing looks beautiful. I’m starting to see some green grass on our hayfields and in the orchards.
Rita
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