March News

Doggone it! There’s still so much snow!

Doggone it! There’s still so much snow!

Just the other day a neighbor told us that her husband spotted a red-winged blackbird, a sure sign of Spring!  We have officially sprung forward, and despite the piles of snow, Spring even feels like it has arrived. It’s a good thing too, because our shop space was getting pretty crowded with seedlings.  Our first wave of onions are sprouting, our pansies, violas and dahlias have been transplanted to plug trays and our grafted tomatoes are getting tall. Our first wave of basil and our first round of peppers are already sprouting!

Last week we transplanted kale into the new greenhouse.  The forecast was for an overcast, rainy day, which is the ideal weather for transplanting, but Mother Nature had other plans.  Instead it was sunny with blue skies, so not exactly a gentle transition for the kale plants. Flint watered them in and we’re hoping they bounce back in no time.  As for us, we’re loving the much needed and sorely missed sunshine - Flint was even in a t-shirt! As soon as those little kale starts size up you’ll be able to find Cate Farm Kale bunches at the Hunger Mountain Co-op, so stay tuned!

Last week, we will be moved seedlings into our main propagation greenhouse and it’s officially grow time!  We’ve seeded our first full wave of plants which includes all kinds of herbs, lettuce, brassicas, greens and flowers. We’re so excited about seedling sales this year that we’ve decided to open up the farm for Saturday and Sunday!  Check out our 2019 Sale hours here. Lots has been happening here and we are excited to get back into the growing season.

We hope you’re loving this spring weather as much as we do.  Even though it’s cold, be sure to step outside and enjoy that sunshine! Happy Spring!

The Cate Farmers

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February News

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Montpelier recently made national news as the coldest spot in the nation. Yikes! But, next door in East Montpelier, things are heating up at Cate Farm. Flint and Richard can sense the the wave of Spring work welling up behind them. Now is the time for repairing and planning and for starting seeds. Kale plants are getting potted up, before being transplanted into the ground of a new, unheated greenhouse later in the month. Flint is starting tomatoes (under 1000 watt metal halide lights in our heated shop) for grafting and then transplanting into heated greenhouses in late March and April. Longer season plants, like rosemary and pansies, are seeded early in the month.

    February is typically the time for conferences and meetings. The NOFA VT winter conference, February 16-18, is a high point of learning and camaraderie. Flint and Richard will also attend a nutrient management workshop and a hemp growing conference.

    Winter in Vermont is also a time when Richard and Sally can enjoy some non farm activities, like cross-country skiing with our dogs in this beautiful and serene winter landscape.

Happy Winter everyone.