May first seems like a turning point this year. Spring is fully arrived, judging by the blooming of the cherry tree in the backyard and the loud buzzing of thousands of bees at work on the flowers. The bright green grass, striking yellow forsythia, and the light pink cherry blossoms makes quite an image compared to the stark white landscape of just a few weeks ago. Things are in full swing here at Apis Verdi: the greenhouse and cold frame are filled to capacity (and then some), peas are coming up quickly in the garden, and full on bed prep has begun at the new piece of land I will be farming this year. It's been a big job clearing all the rocks, weeds, and even some old farm equipment but the soil is gorgeous and the beds are shaping up nicely.

Before:

After:

All the extra bed prep work needed this season is eating up a lot of time, and even with the days getting longer and longer I still find myself putting tools away in the dark. With less than a month until the first farmers' markets it's hard to believe everything will get done before the madness of harvesting and selling and summer weeding sets in, but those are worries for June First.

Time to get back at it!