My morning walk in the cool, crisp Capay Valley air inspired this week’s FarmHer message. As you probably know, the famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil has made his weather prediction – but I’m here to tell you today that our plants may not care. They’re doing their “thing” beautifully, thank you very much.
Under a blanket of light frost, lovely pea plants are poking up all over the place, capturing valuable nitrogen from the air and storing it in their roots. Our oats and beans also don’t care what Phil may have said about winter. They’re thriving, too. The “ground cover” these crops provide slows the absorption of the rain and prevents water and soil (and nutrient) runoff. They’ll become perfect organic green fertilizer when we till them into the soil in May.
I’m excited to report that our young olive trees are loving the cool weather, as well. We’ve spotted new leaves on all five varieties in this, their “second leaf” season. It’s kind of fun to test myself on the varieties as I walk the grove. (OK, so sometimes I use our planting map as a reference.) Puppy Capay completely enjoys sniffing the tree bases for signs of varmints. Happily, she has never caught one!
Whether it’s an early Spring or six more weeks of Winter, your continuing friendship and interest in Capay Valley Lavender warms our hearts. Hope to see you when we open the Farm in April!
