Hi, April! The Latest News from Farm & Larder and Bella Luna Farms

What a shift in the seasons! After February’s historic snowfall, March also made the record books as one of the driest ever, and now as we greet April, spring seems to be in full swing thanks to all of last month’s sunshine. As we are busy both indoors during the drippy days and then outdoors during those aforementioned sun breaks, there are lots of developments to share:

Nestled amongst the sea of early daffodils, other flowers have also begun to bud, including the rhododendrons, native trilliums and primroses, as well as evergreen huckleberries and hot pink salmonberry flowers—a favorite snack of the girls, both feathered and furred. These spring blooms regularly find their way onto the farmhouse table, bringing a delightful glimpse of the season inside.

In the orchard, a new resident is about to move in and join our budding fruit trees—the bees! Our friends Dave and Beth Richards of Woodinville’s Johnny Applebees LLC will install several of their specialized orchard mason bee houses in sunny, south-facing spots here at the farm to help with crop pollination. Mason orchard bees nest in reeds and natural holes, hence the design of their handmade cedar “houses” which are filled with natural reed tubes. These busy, non-stinging bees are considered nature’s ‘super’ pollinators and as such are a very welcome addition to the farm.

Spring is also starting to crop up in the vegetable garden, where we have been both weeding and adding compost, then getting the first sweet peas, snap peas, favas, onions, and leek starts going in the hoop house to be ready for planting, as well as early spring lettuces, Swiss chard, kale, beets, and carrots going into the ground. The herbs continue to grow in the walled garden, kissing the air with the savory scent of thyme, parsley and chives. The team for our landscape design company, Parterre, is also bustling for our clients’ projects, installing pear and apple espaliers (they make amazing “living” fences!) and planting French lilacs to grace their gardens with incredible fragrance later this spring.

As always, we wish you the best this season and hope you too are enjoying a bountiful spring!