Spring photos! There is nothing quite like the inspiring beauty of spring. The snow is long gone. The temperatures have started to climb. And everything, everywhere begins to burst into color.
As we took our annual spring photo tour around the farm this past weekend, it was amazing to see how much the farm has changed in just 8 short years. What was once a 2 acre blank canvas has become filled with trees, a small vineyard and orchard, a garden and more.
Building the farm from scratch has been so much fun for both of us, and we have enjoyed every single minute of it. We thought we would share some of our favorite photo’s taken from our little photo tour. We hope you enjoy!
“A Little Protective Staining”
It helps to have great neighbors! Thanks to a little help from our neighbor and friend Craig, putting the final coat of protective stain on the cedar was a breeze. He brought up one of his lifts and let us use it to stain the “higher” elevations of the house.
Mary and I took turns over the weekend up on the lift, and had it all complete by Saturday afternoon. We are both so happy that we went with the cedar boards. They are so beautiful and durable, and really make the house.
Hops And The Pergola
The hops have taken off this year and are quickly weaving through the upper slats and providing shade for the pergola area. This is the second year for our hops in the space, and the perennial plant seems to love the location.
They will begin to form their fragrant cone shaped blooms in the next month or so. It really is a beautiful plant, even if you are not growing it to make a little homemade beer!
“Grandma’s Flowers”
One of our favorite flowers at the farm are what we affectionately call Grandma’s Flowers. They are actually called Clustered Bellflowera or Superba Campanula Glomerata. But we just simply go by the term “Grandma’s Flowers, because our entire family has taken starts from Grandma’s house long ago.
They are one of the first flowers to bloom in late spring, and are a brilliant shade of purple. Their color usually lasts for a few weeks until the next wave of perennial color from the daylilly’s bring new color to the farm.
The Outdoor Kitchen And Pavilion Area
Whether it is having lunch or dinner, or perhaps firing up the pizza oven for pizza night with the family or neighbors, this is a great space to sit and enjoy a little time outdoors.
We added all of the rock and landscaping last year, and the transplants are just now coming into their own.
The Fire Pit Area
Nothing beats bright glowing flames in the fire pit on a beautiful spring evening. This has become one of our favorite places to sit and take in the sights and sounds of the farm. When we built the fire pit a few years back, it was nights like these we had in mind.
The sun has a way of setting in the west and casting brilliant colors in the sky, and on this particular evening, it was stunning to watch. There is nothing better than sitting back in our homemade 2 x 4 Adirondack Chairs and taking it all in.
The Pizza Oven
Speaking of the pizza oven, we were able to take this photo while enjoying a wonderful pizza night last Saturday with a few of our neighbors, friends and family.
The pizza oven is 100% wood fired, and once heated up, can churn out pizzas in about 4 minutes.
Everybody has their favorite way to cook them, but we are partial to having just the edges of the crust slightly charred. It adds so much flavor!
The Knock Out Rose Bloom
The first of the Knock-Out Rose blooms are just starting to unfurl. In a few weeks, the entire rose bush will be loaded with hundreds of these gorgeous blooms.
The Dog And The Gator
Jazzy has decided it is much easier to get around the farm in the gator than with her four legs! No matter where we go, she likes to sit up and feel the open air in the front seat.
Although I think in this photo she was thinking about driving!
The Garden
The garden is all planted and ready to rock! This year it is filled with over 40 heirloom tomato plants, 36 pepper plants, lettuce, beans, popcorn, cucumbers, spinach, garlic and more!
The Raised Row Beds have been fed now for over 7 years with cover crops and compost, making the soil so easy to plant!
The Pergola
The first true structure on the farm, the pergola is still one of our favorite places to sit and enjoy a meal. The hops are growing so quickly that we are pretty sure it will cover the canopy top this year.
Lettuce Growing Wild
Our Buttercrunch lettuce is in full harvest mode! This variety has always been one of our all-time favorites and comes on early each year.
The true signal that spring is here every year is when you can harvest that first salad from the garden!
We hope you enjoyed the spring photos from the farm! Stay tuned for our Sunday article for a very, very, very big special announcement! Happy Gardening – Jim and Mary.