Each year, I am amazed at the changes going on around me.  The transition from one season to another is  bittersweet it seems.  I am always overjoyed at the arrival of Spring.  New blooms, a bit of green (finally), and lots of wonderful food from the garden keep me smiling for months.  This time of year is no different.  Summer will be here soon.  The fact that I only have 11 days of school left makes me want to scream and shout with joy, but I also think about the fact that Spring is on it's way out.  I was again reminded of this fact this week with the last of the spring veggie boxes going out.  I said goodbye to the spring side of the garden.  It will be tilled under this weekend and vetch will be planted as a summer groundcover.  Now I'm keeping an eye on the new arrivals and am pulling out the old canning recipes.  I have tomatoes, squash, beans, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, and herbs well established and looking healthy.  I may even be able to pick a squash or two this week!  I sent out an email to those folks who receive veggie boxes asking for input and feedback.  I'm thinking I'll try something new for their summer boxes and offer some canned goods, infused oils, and cheese in addition to the standard tomatoes and peppers.  Another great thing about having a summer break is that I will actually have time to spend in the kitchen during the heat of the day.  I'm looking forward to creating some tasty treats! 

Heading into Summer

I'll have to admit, things have been a bit crazy these last few weeks.  It's been hard to keep up with everything that goes on this time of year!  I'm still harvesting so many wonderful veggies from the spring crops.  I just put out the latest round of baskets.  They included:  lettuce, arugula, chard, radish, beets, potatoes, onions, and sugar snap peas.  The summer garden is up and running but I'm trying to stay ahead of the bugs!  My bean plants are already suffering and I'm hoping that my late evening picking efforts will keep them at bay?  We'll see!  When the bugs get to be too much I do use a few methods for combating them.  First, I try to hand pick as many as humanly possible.  If there are just too many I will use Neem Oil or a mixture of Bronner's soap and water.  This usually does the trick.

The bees seem happy these days.  I've had to add new boxes each week and the ladies seem thrilled to have so much in bloom.  They are a non-stop train of pollen and it's so fun to watch!  I'm still hoping for a mid to late June honey harvest.  I have seen a few wax moths but the ladies are going strong and should be able to defend themselves against the pesky (and messy) intruders.  Fingers crossed...

I'm counting down the days to summer (only 18 more days of school left!!).  I've set a goal for myself.  By the end of the summer I will have a full business plan written and be ready to lauch a kickstarter.com fundraising campaign.  I just have to practice a little self-discipline.  Don't be tempted to sleep in, don't spend too much time out on the boat, and focus!!

Wow!! It's been really busy around Two Bees Farm.  This past weekend folks enjoyed their second vegetable boxes.  I was able to fill them with lettuce, chard, carrots, radishes, beets, arugula, spinach, bok choy, herbs, and eggs.  The last of the spinach, radishes, and carrots were picked to make room for summer seedlings.  As much as I love summer I'll have to admit that I'm sad to see all the beautiful leafy greens go.  There's nothing like fresh, crisp lettuce straight from the garden.  Warmer weather brings tomatoes, beans, and squash.  I'm a little behind on planting this time and will be busy this week working to get everything in the ground.  Weeding is starting to become a chore, and one that I will have to force myself to do daily! 

The bees all seem to be happy!  I was excited to add boxes to the two older hives and should be able to harvest honey by late June!  The new hive, which has seen it's share of troubles, and was combined with another new hive apparently poisoned by fermented sugar water, seems to be doing well.   I'm keeping a close eye on them and sure hope they stay happy! 

If you're looking for a different way to spend an hour or so, come on out and help in the gardens!  There's plenty of weeding and planting to be done.  I also have seedlings for sale in the greenhouse.  Come check it out! 

happy planting
t

Successful First Delivery!!!

This past Satuday was a big day at Two Bees Farm! My first 5 veggie boxes went out and I'm so happy to report that everyone seemed pleased.  I was able to provide radishes, carrots, chard, lettuce, dill, cilantro, and rosemary this time.  I have hopes of the next boxes going out in two weeks. 

I was thrilled when I went into the new hives on Saturday.  The new queens are alive and well!  There are tiny little eggs in the cells and the workers are busy gathering the spring goodies!  I'm still worried about one of my older hives and will check it in a few days to see if there is new larvae.  When I checked on Saturday, there was uncapped larvae but I still didn't see eggs or the queen.  I'm really hoping she's just hiding! 

Spring Break is coming up (thank goodness) and I am looking forward to a week off!  I'm forcing myself to relax a bit and look forward to some down time spent with old friends on the beach.  The plants can do without me for a few days, right??

Here's a picture of the weekend harvest...

Spring has Sprung!!!!

I can't tell you how much I love Spring in Eastern NC!  We've had some unusually high temps for this time of year and I'm hoping that won't hurt us later on, but it sure has been nice!! I spent all weekend out and about in the yard, part of that time spent in a lovely tent hammock relaxing to the sounds of spring.. The rest of the time was, of course, spent working!  The "new" greenhouse is finally complete!  A friend donated the frame to me and it is now complete with recycled windows and carpet flooring.  I used old windows from my house, the carpet is from the 50's and is serving as a great weed barrier.. But man how cool is the orange shag underneath!!  I transplanted a few varieties of tomatoes and peppers and am trying them out in the new digs.. We'll see how they do as temperatures are supposed to get down at night a bit this week.  I'm planning to transplant basil and a few other herbs this week and will be adding them as well. 
I set up two new hives on Friday.. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and am hoping for the best but I made some pretty costly mistakes.  I wore my new gloves and found out too late that they were not for holding a tiny nail and trying to push the cork out of the queen box.  Instead of leaving the candy cork, I pushed it all the way out.. The purpose of the candy cork is to prevent the queen from escaping too soon.  The worker bees have to get used to her, know her pheremones, and accept her as their queen before she can be released.  The release is usually up to the bees as they eat slowly through the plug.  I sped up the process and am hoping that the workers had enough time in the box with her and won't decide to kill her.  At the very worst, I'll have to requeen next week.  I'm just hoping they can sustain themselves for that long without her!  As for my small original hive, it's not looking so great inside! There weren't many bees when I checked a week ago and there is no new larvae or eggs.  I'm hoping the queen isn't dead but I'll wait again until this Friday to check.  Fingers, toes, and everything else crossed! 

It's been busy around Two Bees Farm!!  It seems we made a leap straight from winter (a very mild one) to summer!  Temperatures have already reached 80 and it's not even spring yet!  I'm keeping my fingers crossed for few bug problems this year in the garden.. We'll see how that works out!  I've been busy moving seedlings around.  The top picture shows lettuce and chard growing in one of the new cold frames.  It seems very happy and indeed, my belly was very happy last night after eating a bit for dinner!  I was so excited to enjoy the first spring veggies!  Beets, carrots, peas, kale, arugula, chard, cabbage, collards, broccoli, potatoes, onions, radishes, leeks, and bok choy are all thriving in the new spring garden.  I'll be transplanting some of my seedlings to bigger pots to include in my first veggie baskets in about two weeks!  I have to be honest, I'm growing a bit nervous about starting up the baskets and hope that I can make my customers happy!

The bees are coming!! I'm scheduled to pick up two boxes of bees this Friday, March 23 and will be placing the ladies in their new hives before dark (I hope!).  I've gone with some new colors on the boxes this year.. I guess I just got bored with plain old white boxes!  I went into my hives this past week and all is well with the ladies.  One hive is down to one box and I had to put a feeder on, but the queen is laying and larvae is developing.  The other hive is doing great.  Numbers are high and the bees are already gathering pollen and nectar.  I'm looking forward to watching their progress! 

The baby chicks are growing like weeds.  I've already moved the Cornish Cross pullets to the outside pen and plan to move them to the chicken tractor later this week.  The others (Speckled Sussex, Brown Leghorns, and Aracaunas) all seem to be doing well but aren't quite big enough to brave the cooler night temps just yet.  The older ladies have amped up egg production as the warmer temperatures settle in. I took 5 dozen to the Beaufort Community Market on Saturday and will probably take about the same amount this week. 

Spring seems to have sprung!  I'll post pictures of the chicks and bees very soon and hope to have another exciting update soon. Happy Growing!
t

Shelburne Farms, VT The ABC's of Educational Farming

I attended a workshop called the ABC's of Educational Farming held at Shelburne Farms, VT last weekend.  I came away with a great resource book, Project Seasons, which is full of activites to use with visitors to the "educational farm that will be..." one day in the (sooner than later) future!  I was able to brainstorm with folks who already run similiar programs, volunteer, or are involved in Farm to School programs in and around Vermont.  Programs that focus on educational farming and connections to local food systems are abundant in the New England area and my hope is for this interest to trickle down south a bit!  The most valuable information that I gained came in the form of fundraising and business ideas.  My biggest obstancle at this point is how to gain the funds to actually make my ideas a reality.  I am researching the possibility of launching a fundraiser campaign on http://www.kickstarter.com/.   Check out the website if you have time!  I'm more than interested in your opinions and advice on how to attain start up funds for Two Bees Farm educational programing.  I am also working on a survey to assess community interest in educational farming programs (after school, summer camps, and weekend classes) and would appreciate any sharing of email addresses.  I'd like to have this ready to send out by mid-April and could use your help.  If you know of anyone who might be intested in what I'm doing and wouldn't mind taking a short needs assessment survey, send me their email address!  You can reach me at seahorsenc@gmail.com.  Here are a few links that may be of interest..
Shelburne Farms:   http://www.shelburnefarms.org/
The Farm Based Education Association:  http://www.farmbasededucation.org/
Kickstarter Fundraising Website:  http://www.kickstarter.com/