Signs of May

Thornbird

We think this year might be see a bit earlier iris bloom than many years and we are (as always) looking forward to it.  There is one iris in particular (Thornbird) that I am hoping has not died off on us and I think I remember where, in our various perennial flower beds, this one should be. Whether they are still with us or not, we'll know one way or the other in a few weeks.

Of course, I'm not just anxious to see Thornbird.  There is a host iris varieties on our farm and they are all welcomed when they appear.  We very much enjoy picking bouquets and bringing them into the house and we do like to walk the grounds and view the flowers that have opened.  The hard part is getting back to work rather than just finding a chair and sitting and looking at them.

Another sign of May is the movement of our broiler chicken trailer.  Ok.  It's a small horse trailer that we've converted to use as the home for our broiler flocks.  When we first get broiler chicks we put them into the horse trailer and surround the trailer with portable electric fence to keep out the curious predator or two.  We place the trailer close enough to a building so we can run electric to the heat lamps that keep the baby birds warm enough.

However, May is when the birds get to start going outside, which means we need to start moving their portable home to appropriate pasture areas.  After all, you can't just leave the birds in one place for too long or grounds have difficulty recovering from the 'devastation' the birds leave in their wake.

And then, there is the Cart O Tools.  It's always a bit dismaying to us the first time we go out to really work one of the East plots and we have to keep taking trips back to the buildings to get yet ANOTHER tool or item we have forgotten.  Eventually, we get used to it.  And by that, I mean, we get used to going back to the buildings for things we've forgotten AND we get used to just packing out more than we think we will need.

Sometimes I think the gathering and putting away of tools might be one of the most tiresome jobs on the farm.  The gathering can be annoying because you just want to get to the task(s).  The putting away part usually happens when you are just ready to sit down/lie down and call it a day.  But, when you succumb to the temptation to just leave things out, that's when you pay - one way or another.

And, the final sign of May (that we will mention in this blog post - we know there are others) is the appearance of GFF plants in 3 1/2 inch pots that you can buy and put in your gardens!  We brought a few last week to the Waverly Farmers' Market and will be putting a whole lot more into pots this week.  I hope we can get it all done.