April is Nearing its End

lynnfarmatkatielan
Apr 29, 2021
2 min read

And as you can see, we are wearing coats as it is in the 40's.

We have been grateful for the Hot Dawg heater during this cold spell. It allows us to sleep through the night without getting up to place heat lamps and blankets over plants. The first plantings, those tomatoes that will be placed in the high tunnels this week, are in their 4 inch pots and 2-3 times the size in their height.

The plants are well protected in this environment and it is only the seedlings for the final planting of hot peppers along with the new experimental fields of zinnias and marigolds that have been started on the warming blankets in the farm house. Those zinnias popped up in 3 days, quite aggressive!

Our crew completed high tunnel retro-fitting for #1 and #3 this week. New end walls, electricity, Hot Dawg heaters, and circulation fans made the upgrade. We like to work in a clean environment; after the sidewalks are re-laid, the tunnels will be shop-vac'd and ready for young plants.

We are working on repairing our garden tractor right now. An odd thing happened last fall: one of the steel balls in the ball bearings split in half and got lodged in the left front wheel gears. The problem was caused by the grease leaking out over the years. Obviously someone forgot to check the gearbox oil level! Now time is of the essence so we must get the repairs completed. Our Kubota is essential for our farm. We use it for tilling, making rows, mulching straw, spraying and much more. The tractor has seen many hours of work over the years.

The tractor diagnosticians assessed the problem and are re-assembling the gearboxes with new parts. Thankfully there are no electronics involved and it is a repair that any experienced farmer can accomplish without some sort of advanced degree... just need LOTS of tools and ingenuity and persistence.