Hello, May! The Latest News from Farm & Larder and Bella Luna Farms

April’s many showers have indeed brought May flowers, gracing Bella Luna with a lush beauty as spring has gradually arrived at the farm. The better weather of late has really jump-started our ‘to-do’ list, keeping us busy dawn to dusk trying to get ahead of the weeds that seem to pop up overnight now that the sun has arrived.

Garden planning is always one of our favorite winter pastimes, and now is the time to make those dreams come true. Thus, our gardening company, Parterre, is busy doing just that for our clients; we are putting in new herb and children’s gardens along with early seasonal vegetables into kitchen gardens, as well as adding colorful plants to containers—this time of year is perfect for a garden makeover or update as all our Northwest plants are just now springing to life.

Here at Bella Luna, the apple, cherry, and pear trees along with the blueberry bushes are abloom in both the orchard and the garden where Woodinville’s Johnny Applebees LLC recently installed specialized orchard mason bee houses to aid pollination and good fruit production. We are harvesting asparagus and herbs galore from the main vegetable plot, and the raspberries there are about to bloom as well. We are also planting peas, carrots, lettuces, beets, leeks and onions, and then the beans, cucumbers, and summer squashes are seeded in the greenhouse to be planted out in a few weeks when the soil is warmer. (It seems it’s time to secure the gates to the vegetable gardens so we don’t have any furry guests nibbling tender new shoots!)

When it is sunny out, the ‘girls’ venture out to enjoy the lush green pasture, where they also like to stretch their heads over the fence to nibble on any brambles they can reach, and then take a break to lie down in the tall grass. We are also once again treated to the chorus of frogs at night, so loud we can hear them indoors—a most welcome symphony after such a long winter.