Signs of Spring in the Greenhouse!

What could be a better spring greeting than this cluster of tomato blossoms?  Beautiful to behold, plus it brings the promise of a fresh tomato coming in late Spring!
The greenhouse has enjoyed the many sunny days of late (and so has our heating bill!)  The natural heat really accelerates the growth of everything there.  As you can see, the tomato plants are getting tall, climbing the trellis, and getting their first major haircut today!
This is the time of year when walking through the greenhouse requires ballerina-precision steps, as we have started so many seeds for transplant later.  The grape and cherry tomatoes are planted with new varieties in colors of brown, purple, pink, blue, yellow, green, and of course–traditional red!  Specialty peppers are planted, including some Carolina Reapers, that are the Guinness World Record holder for the hottest pepper in the world!

Winter Maintenance Continues

Winter Maintenance continues with equipment checks and repairs.  Henry has been checking each of our apple bins, repairing as needed, and moving into storage for the fall.
David took a break from equipment maintenance to made new plant boxes for the greenhouse—so we can plant more cucumbers!

Orchard Removal and Cleanup

Anyone driving by last week saw piles of brush burning from pruning the orchard.  This “spring cleaning” sure spruced up the orchards.  Some of you wondered about trees coming out from behind the market area.  Yes, it was past time to take out the tart cherry orchard that was planted in the 60’s.  Below are some of the few trees still alive, the size of the roots, the finished project, and a cleaned up field ready to be used in another way.  Stay tuned for what we intend to put there; we think you will like it!

Laying Straw on the Strawberries

And on this first day of spring, we focused on summer strawberries!  We got an early start this morning and as the sun came up, we got our straw down in-between the rows for the season.
One of the most frequently asked questions lately has been whether we will have strawberry plants for sale.  It seems like everyone wants to have a little patch of their own.  Since strawberry plants are already scarce and the demand is high, we added on to our large order so we will have some extras for sale—the same kinds that we grow here that you all love!

And we also have extra bales of straw for sale.  Just give us a call at (269) 244-5690 for pricing and to make an appointment.

Spring  is Here

With the time change over this past weekend and losing a precious hour of sleep, Mother Nature made it up to us by providing a brilliant sunrise on Monday morning that somehow made it all better as we made our daily trek to the farm to start another week.
Today, on our first day of Spring when daylight and darkness are equal, may we find our internal balance.  Let the increasing light of spring add joy to our hearts.

Happy Spring to all of you, enjoy the nice weather!
From everyone at Corey Lake Orchards