Archives | Curbstone Valley

Mason Bees, and the Mighty Mizuna

by Clare | Mar 30, 2012 | Beneficial Insects, Farm Blog, Garden

Mason Bees, and Mizuna, sums up a large part of my afternoon in the garden yesterday. We first brought Mason Bees to the farm a couple of years ago. This is their third year hatching in the garden here. For the first two seasons we mostly saw evidence of Mason Bees,...

Lotus & Minnie: Just Kidding Around

by Clare | Mar 23, 2012 | Farm Blog, Goats

It’s now been just over two weeks since we brought the goats to the farm. Lotus and Minnie have settled into their new home, and we’ve all quickly adjusted to our new routines. So far it’s mostly gone smoothly, with the exception of 24 hours where...

Winter Losses, and the Renewal of Spring

by Clare | Mar 20, 2012 | Farm Blog, Flora and Fauna, Native Plants

On this first day of spring I decided to walk through the property to see how our woodland native plants are faring so far this season. I’m taking stock of which plants are thriving at the moment, and where, as I will need to collect seed, or take cuttings from...

Goldback Fern (Pentagramma triangularis ssp. triangularis)

by Clare | Mar 16, 2012 | Farm Blog, Flora and Fauna, Native Plants, Natives

We are significantly behind in our rainfall totals for this year, but during the last week the rains have made a valiant effort to catch up before Spring arrives. This winter’s paucity of rainfall has impacted a number of our native plants, especially our...

The Bright…and Dark Side of Daffodils

by Clare | Mar 13, 2012 | Farm Blog, Flowers, Garden, Orchard

Daffodils are some of the most eagerly anticipated early heralds of spring here on the farm. When our orchard slope was first cleared, the entire area looked depressingly bare. Even with the newly planted fruit trees in place, there was a definite lack of presence in...