Farm Girl Friday -11 April 2014

For Farm Girl Friday I thought I'd share some signs of spring from the upper Ottawa Valley.

Monday Colin and Dad were hard at work getting the corn combined on the 'Killman Farm' a.k.a. our front field.  There was a bit of frost in the ground and the corn is perfectly dry now, so it was good going.

Why the hurry?  Because this is the spring creek in the morning when they started.  It was 5 rows into the corn by the end of the day.

This is the other side of the road.  Luckily this field was dry enough in the fall, so it's OK to be wet.  Ella calls this Lake Ella.  That's Dad's house in the background.

It's a fair bit of water that runs through our front fields every spring.  And we didn't really have that much snow this year, you should see it on wet winters.

And then there is the problem caused by the groundhog that likes to live in the culvert at the driveway...

This is Lake Snugglebug.  As you can see it's heading over the driveway and is well past our raised beds (another good reason to use the steel rings instead of wood).

I get a little nervous each year when the lake is back.  Between the ditch and the mushy ground, that water is close to 4 ft deep in places.  Ella's only just now 4 ft.  But luckily...

the lake didn't stay long this year.  Since the ground didn't really freeze this winter the culvert let go drained it all away.  Good thing too, because I don't think Colin's new apple trees really wanted to swim.

The guys headed over to the corn on the back end of the 'Poff Farm' and had a much harder time.  The top of the hill has a spring in it and the ground was so mushy.  They actually buried the entire combine tire (nearly as tall as me) in the mud.  Unfortunately Colin didn't have the camera.  What a mess!  Now we'll have to wait for the ground to dry before trying any more corn.

What is it with farmers calling farms by the family that owned them 50-100 years ago?

Saw the first flock of geese for the spring.  It's nice to see them, but we hope they just keep moving.  Geese do so much damage on these wet fields.  Their big, flat feet compact the soil and turn it to cement if it dries before it gets worked.

And for a final sign of spring...

Sprouts poking up (now to keep Daisy off them)!  From their location they should be tulips, but it's so very early for tulips.  Usually my snowdrops make the first appearance.  Maybe they spread?