Friday December 23, 2005 ---- Merry Christmas!!!!! Everyone here at Sweet Berry Farm (the wife, two kids, two dogs, ten cats, two horses, eight goats, mom, dad, carl and I) hope that You and Yours have a wonderful Christmas.
As for things on the farm --- going good. It is a little (lot) dry at the moment. Today I am going to put some sprinklers out on the green belt to see if we can get some grass to grow. You would not believe it but we are still cleaning up from the year. Perhaps it is taking a little (lot) longer than it should because we have not been in much of a hurry to get it done. We have a little deer damage in one corner of the Strawberry patch. It seems that the Strawberry plants are the only green thing in a five mile radius. Every time I fix the hole in the fence another pops up --- determined little rascals!
Get ready .......... those Strawberries should be ready about March 12th. My favorite times to pick are March 24th (for the really big ones) and April 12th (for the "there is more berries here than you could shake a stick at" ones). Best time to pick Blackberries is June 8th. So go ahead and mark your calendars now.
Thursday December 1, 2005 --- Seems like November passed by in a hurry. Believe it or not - we are still cleaning up from the Fall season. We took the last of the leftover pumpkins to the neighbors goats and cows ---- boy were they happy to see us! One more little group through the Texas maze this weekend and then we will be able to mow her down and work up the field - that will be fun. The Strawberry plants have been enjoying this mild weather -- they seem to be right on schedule for a big crop in the Spring. Ooops, better get the kiddos to school. By the way, I don't think we will do "Christmas on the Farm" this year - perhaps in coming years but not 2005.
Tuesday November 22, 2005 --- Thank you for a wonderful Fall season. It is time for the farms to close down now and start getting ready for next Spring. While we are closed and no doubt will move with a little less urgency there is still plenty of work for us to do. I suppose the month of December carries the lightest work load for us. The Maze in Lexington has now been mowed down and we are going to attempt to plant it to clover today. It is a bit late to plant but you never know with our weather what is going to happen - it might turn off mild for the next month.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Friday November 18, 2005 --- After above normal temperatures the first half of November it seems we are now running a little below normal. Our first hard freeze of the winter occurred yesterday morning, not to worry though, I don't think we had any damage. Some of the most tender growth on the Strawberry plants might have been nipped a little but the damage should be minimal. So far the Strawberries seem to be growing off very nicely. Just think in 4 months we should be picking them!
Today and tomorrow will be our last days of the Fall season. I know it has been very dry and the local ranchers would like to have seen a lot more rain, but for us - it has been just right. We had only one rain out the entire month of October. As opposed to prior years when we have had entire weeks rained out. The last 150 kids of the fall group season will be coming out this morning and I would expect tomorrow to be a very light crowd. The goats will be happy to see the season end --- they get all the leftover pumpkins. Unfortunately for them we don't have many left.
The new barn ( a year in the making now) is almost finished. Just a few more pieces of old tin to put on this morning and it will be complete --- maybe. Yesterday I was thinking that it would be nice to add another 12 feet to the back side. I am sure someone once said "You can't have a barn too big".
Wednesday November 2, 2005 --- God is good! We are having a great Fall season and HE deserves all the credit. All you people that have come out deserve some credit too - thanks for "Harvesting the Fun" with us. While the Lexington farm is going to close for now (only temporarily though, the Strawberries should be ready to pick in Lexington around March 10th, 2006) the Marble Falls farm is staying open through November 19th. Here in Marble Falls we will still be taking hayrides, milking cows, stuffing scarecrows, painting pumpkins, shelling corn, walking across Texas (hayfield Maze), petting goats, petting horses and much much more. We are sold out of large Pumpkins but we still have some gourds and specialty pumpkins for your fall decorations.
The Strawberries have all been planted and are starting to show new growth. This weather has made for amazingly good growing conditions. So far both farms look the plants will be in excellent shape heading into winter. This has been a good start to what we hope will be a marvelous 2006 Strawberry crop.
Not to leave out the Blackberries. In Lexington the canes look better than they ever have. For now we have the weeds under control and the canes have been pruned and trellised. Barring any disasters, I believe the 2006 Blackberry crop in Lexington will be incredible. Most of the Blackberry canes in Marble Falls looks pretty good also. We do have some Arapaho canes that did not receive enough water this fall and are now suffering. All the Blackberries are on an irrigation system but we have problems in some areas and just did not have enough time to get it fixed correctly this past summer when the plants needed it most. Fixing these problems will be a big priority this winter.
We have removed a few rows of Blackberries (a variety I did not like) in order to make room for a spring planting of misc. vegetables. We will move the Tomato patch up to this area and plan to plant a few things my wife likes (squash, peppers, and other stuff). Reworking this area will also be a priority this winter.
It seems my priority list for the winter keeps growing --- For a long time I have been wanting to build a shed to put the Tractors and equipment under. With the wood from a building in town that is being demolished I think this shed might soon be a reality.
Friday October 28, 2005 ---- Wow, the weather the past two weeks has been incredible! We did get a very small shower yesterday morning - just exactly what we needed to settle the dust. It does not happen very often but when the weather cooperates it sure does make everything flow easier. Most of our patrons sure have been "harvesting the fun". I suppose that is why we are in this business --the vast majority of the people that visit us are happy. Even our helpers have commented "this is a fun place to work". I am guilty of getting so caught up in what needs to be done in the future that I lose sight of what is going on at the moment. Therefore, I think I will relax and take it easy today (yeah right, that will last until 10am when we have a 100 school kids scheduled to go through the maze).
Wednesday October 19, 2005 --- So far we are having an awesome fall season. The afternoons have been a little too warm but the mornings are just right. And the forecast for the weekend looks spectacular with a cool front coming in Friday bringing the high temps down to the upper 70's ------ I am soooo ready!!!!
- We are almost finished planting Strawberries here in Marble Falls. I think we should finish tomorrow - I will breathe a breath of relief when the last plant goes into the ground. After planting we like to overhead sprinkle them for a few days to help in establishment. Once the transplant shock has worn off they will begin to settle in for the winter. In our climate the plants seem to grow most of the winter, only if the temps are going to drop below the low teens will we cover them up. If all goes right they will begin blooming next February and we will be picking ripe strawberries by mid March of 2006.
- Saturday will offer customers an added treat with the 3rd Annual UFO Disc Dog Tournament coming to the farm. If you haven't seen the flying disc dogs before - now is the time. It is a lot of fun to watch the frisbee dogs in action as they compete for world series points. The dog owners are super friendly and would be honored to give you a few tips on training your dog if only you will ask them --- don't be bashful.
Monday October 10, 2005 --- 9:30 am --- all activities will be running today. We do have a few wet spots caused by the rain early this morning so don't wear flip flops. Come on out, we would love to have you.
Tuesday October 4th, 2005 --- Last week we had two days of cooler weather that really set the tone for the season -- then came the weekend and summer proved it was not over yet. I see in the forecast that more cool temperatures are coming --- bring them on! This coming weekend looks like it will be a dandy ---- the farm looks great, all the activities are set up, the weather seems like it is going to cooperate - now all we need is you.
Have you seen what's moo at the farm? Yes we now have a milk cow, and we are encouraging everyone to milk Miss Bessie. She is not a live cow, but a fiberglass one instead with an udder and four teats. Each 'handle' lights up and the object of the game is to squeeze the one that is lit. Let me back up ------- First you have to purchase a 'Milk Miss Bessie' ticket, on the ticket are four items (hay, water, grain, udder cream) for each of which there is a sign somewhere throughout the farm activities. You must find the sign for each item and use the hole punch hanging on the sign to mark your ticket. Once you have found the ingredients to feed the cow, and 'hand lotion' - you get to milk the cow. If you squeeze more than 5 lit 'handles' - then you have provided enough milk to win a free scoop of Ice Cream. It is kinda corny but tons of fun. I personally have named the cow "relief"' ---- are you stressed out? go milk the cow and you will find out why she is so named. (needless to say, I am telling my wife to "go milk the cow!" alot these days).
Finally, all the Strawberry beds have been made. Strawberry plants should be coming this week and we will start planting as soon as we can. I have had a request to bring back the 'guest planter' program. Sure, if you want to help plant just hop right in. Plans are to plant in Lexington this Friday and next Tuesday. After that we will start planting here in Marble Falls whenever we can get a crew together.
Wednesday September 28, 2005 --- I am a bit perplexed (I am sure you are surprised right?), we are now open for the Fall season but it is so hot that we don't want anyone to come out. This is just crazy heat. How hot is it? we have a display of corn on the cob -- yep, some of the kernels popped right on the cob. It is absolutely miserably hot and here we are trying to build Strawberry beds and gearing up for October. Therefore, please do not come out to the patch until the temperature is forecast to be under 91 degrees. We want everyone to have the most fun they ever had when visiting the farm and it just not going to happen if the hay from stuffing the scarecrow sticks to you like a tar and feathering.
I mentioned that we are now building Strawberry beds, just about a week behind schedule. We were hoping to get a drop or two of rain to moisten the dirt. Well, we haven't had any rain since mid July. So now we are putting out sprinklers and wetting the patch down in front of the bedding machine. It is actually working pretty well but it doubles the work we have to do. Oh well, nothing has been easy this summer so why start now?
Surely the temperatures are going to come down some day and when they do we are ready to "Harvest the Fall Fun". The patch is really looking very good considering the weather conditions and we have a lot of pumpkins ready for purchase among lots of fun activities. We have hayrides ready to go, pumpkins ready to paint, scarecrows ready to stuff and much much more. We have added a welcome shed and are enlarging one of our barns. The Kid and Texas Mazes are taking a beating from heat, drought, and worms but they are still passable.
Monday September 19, 2005 --- Yipee! We have made some real headway at the Lexington farm lately. First, the Strawberry beds are made and now awaiting plants. The beds made up better than ever and we are very happy with them so far. We will increase the Strawberry planting this year by several thousand plants. Second, the 'America' Maze is practically ready for pedestrians - just need to put the destination points in it. All you Maze aficionados will want to head to Lexington this year as the 'America' Maze is going to be far better than the 'Texas' Maze here in Marble Falls. 'America' stands about 10 feet tall in most places where 'Texas' is only about 5 feet. Third, Pumpkins! the pumpkins are being displayed and the place is getting ready to open soon.
Now we need to focus on some work here in Marble Falls. Making Strawberry beds, displaying Pumpkins and getting ready to open for the Fall are the priorities. Actually, trying to keep everything watered is number one priority. It sure has been very hot and dry here and I am not in much of a Fall spirit. Surely this will be the last really Hot week of the summer? The mornings seem a bit cooler so Fall temps can't be far away? Sometimes I think I am worse than a woman ----- my mood swings with the weather something fierce. And with the record high temperatures this week, extremely dry conditions and what seems like a plague of worms (I even found some in the Port O Can!) ---- guess what it has been like to be around me. What am I saying!!!! Worse than a woman?!? no way!
Wednesday September 07, 2005 ---- The farms are closed to the public right now but that certainly does not mean the work stops. After a long day I think I am ready to turn in. The patch is looking good and we are frantically trying to get ready for the Fall Season along with just trying to keep everything alive. Can you believe we will be opening with pumpkins in just a few weeks? Great, I had to remind myself! Now I won't be able to sleep. The minimum temps seem to be slowly inching downwards, a sure sign that Fall is coming. It would be an understatement for me to say "I am kinda ready for a little cooler weather".
Monday August 22, 2005 --- HWD -- that's the story and I'm stickin to it.
Hot --- mucho hot this week.
Worms!!!! the count is now Worms - 2 million, Farmer Dan -1. I don't mind admitting it, the worms are beating me up. I thought I had them under control and the section of the maze that was looking dull green was only because it was dry --- nope, a gadzillion worms had moved in. I guess what makes me the most upset is that I'm playing the Nintendo with the kids and I think the laughing I hear is coming from my wife watching me play ------- no, it is the collective insidious "He, He, He" of a million worms munching away. Only does the laugh stop long enough for them to say "Hmm, Hmm, Hmm". Well, laugh away you worms Farmer Dan is down but NOT OUT - it is time to get ugly.
Dry -- not only is it mucho Hot, it is mucho Dry. We are struggling to keep everything watered. Our poor ole water pump is running 24 hours a day --- I certainly hope it does not go down.
Not to worry though ---- overall the patch is looking pretty good. We are going great guns now trying to get ready for Pumpkin season. It is very hard for me to think that it is ever going to cool down when I am melting away in 100+ degree heat. It is coming though, before you know it ---- we do like the Fall season! Every one is just giddy with joy as soon as the temperature breaks and you just feel Fall in the air.
Monday August 08, 2005 --- The 'Texas' Maze is planted! Yippee! It has been watered once and the seeds are already beginning to germinate. My wife said I sounded a little harsh on last weeks update - especially number 2. Don't get me wrong, it was no fault of the fellow I asked to cut my hay that it took so long --- the weather just would not cooperate.
Not only has the maze been planted but we finished pruning Blackberries today! double Yippee! Things are looking up!
Tomorrow we are headed to Lexington to prune Blackberries over there. The America maze in Lexington has been planted for two weeks now and is really looking good. We already had a bout with worms --- so far the count is farmer 1, worms 0. Just as I write this I wonder if they are out there chomping away? - perhaps I will check for worms again tomorrow.
Tuesday August 02, 2005 --- Tested, I think I am being tested.
First: I cut out a pipe because we are trying to improve our drainage and I thought we would be digging a ditch through it ---- ended up that I did not need to cut it out ---- no big deal I will just put it back ...... yeah right! I "fixed" it only to find out the pipe had a hole in it, then I "fixed" it again only to find I had a faulty coupling, then I did something goofy, then I finally got it right (actually I don't entirely know, I decided to cover it back up with dirt before testing it out)
Second: I have been chomping at the bit to get the 'Texas' maze cultivated and planted, which I could not do until the grass from the spring Maze was taken care of. So about 4 weeks ago I asked a fellow to cut and bale it, he said "oh yeah, I can do that in a couple of days - I will be there in a day or two and we'll knock it out. A couple of days turned into a couple of weeks. It has been cut for a week or so but it wouldn't dry out because we keep getting these afternoon showers. Well, the grass finally dried out and he was coming yesterday to bale it ---- what do you think happened? A thunderstorm erupted right over the farm. Luckily it did not rain too much and it was able to dry out today -- we finished baling it this evening and hauled all the hay out. I tell you --- one day I am going to own every piece of farm equipment known to man, then I will not have to borrow or ask anyone for anything!
Third: was really just a test of scruples. An old coot from down the road (I don't think he has a computer, so I can say that with some insurance that he won't read it) kinda smirked when I was building my chicken coup, he told me he was unsure of whether or not it would keep the varmits out, to which I replied "What do you mean, I am not going to let no stinking coon get my chickens!" When he found out something did get in and kill ALL of my dads chickens I could feel that smirk again (actually he was nice enough to give me some replacements). Well, he didn't want to tell me but I found out something got in HIS coup and killed 40 of HIS chickens in one night. Have you ever tried to get a tear in your eye while you were holding back a smile? Somehow I do not think my "Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that" sounded real sincere.
Overall I am fairly pleased with how the farm is progressing. Pumpkin season is right around the corner and we are starting to get excited.
Monday July 25, 2005 --- This will be very hard ---- I am going to try to get through this update without talking about the weather.......... Now there is nothing to say..........
oh yeah, a stinkin no good for nothin varmit got in the chicken coup and killed 10 of my dads chickens, he crawled 6' up the side of the coup and pushed in the wire to get through. I fixed that hole and low and behold if he didn't dig a foot deep tunnel in the back and get two more the next night. Ok, fool me once - maybe even twice but now I am going to reinforce the coup to make it a fortress that we can retreat to in a nuclear blast.
I am still having a hard time getting any one thing accomplished. I can say that we got "America" the maze planted, fertilized and irrigated. In fact it is already coming up, now to keep those worms out of it. This year I am ready for them and just waiting to pounce ---- come on out little worms, farmer Dan has a surprise for you.
Unfortunately, "Texas" is way behind. right now the spring maze has been cut and is laying down waiting to be baled, which can't be done until it dries out. Not to worry though, we have all the way to the 10th of August to get it planted. Yikes!!! only 15 days!!
The tomatoes are finished and I am pulling them out as fast as I can! We will turn this area into a grassy field for the fall.
We are slowly pruning Blackberries (will we ever finish?).
I really have a good feeling about this fall ----- make plans now to come out in October --- it will be a blast.
Thursday July 14, 2005 ---- I believe it is a bit warm here. The Tomato harvest is still going strong. I suppose I would be more excited about Tomatoes if only I liked to eat them. I love Ketchup and I like them on a sandwich but there is no way I am going to eat one by itself. A big box of nice round red tomatoes are pretty though. Oh well, my wife and parents will eat more than my share.
There is so much to do here and it is so hard to get motivated in this heat. Earlier this week I had to fix a water leak ---- it took me two days and 4 tries to do a 30 minute job. You can hear the eyes roll in my wife's head anytime I say "yeah, I can do that in about 30 minutes". Just when I finally get on a roll something comes up and so I have decided not to start anything - then I won't get deterred and frustrated ----- right???
I do hope to get 'America' planted in the next few days (that would be the Maze in Lexington), it might be a bit early to plant it but we are determined to make this the best Maze ever in Lexington.
Tuesday July 5th, 2005 --- sorry for missing the last two weeks - I just got home last night from a two week mission trip to Kenya. 48 Youth and Adults from our church went over there to spread the good news of Jesus Christ and also help a new church get started. It is winter there so the weather was perfect (60s at night, 70s in the day) not to mention there was 802 salvations -- God is good! Be on the lookout - I might put my pictures in the picture gallery.
I spent the day checking out the patch and trying to get caught up on things. The Blackberries are for sure finished producing for the year, but the Tomatoes are going very strong. We have 9 varieties and they are all loaded. If you like fresh home grown Tomatoes --- have we got a deal for you. Be sure to see the revised hours on the home page. I need to get busy for the rest of the month as deadlines have to be met. I suppose the first priority will be getting the Mazes mowed, plowed, plowed again, leveled, fertilized and ready for planting.
After the mazes are taken care of we have a ton of other stuff to do. In August we are closed for business but that does not mean the work stops - it actually picks up and gets heavier.
Sunday June 19, 2005 --- busy, busy, busy. We have been very busy lately and it seems one thing after another needs doing. Not to mention it has been a little warm also. I would definitely recommend coming out to the patch in the mornings.
The Blackberries are producing very well and should all the way up to July.
Lots of Tomatoes to pick also.
The Strawberry and potato fields are being renovated.
We are not sure what is going to happen in July so if coming out after June -- please call.
Monday June 6, 2005 --- Blackberries - producing very well! The thornless 'Arapaho' and the giant 'Kiowa' are both producing berries. The best berries are down low and inside of the canes. Many customers only pick a small window right in front of their face, so if you will look high and low --- you won't be sorry. In fact, this is the time to put the kids to good use, tell them to get those berries down low.
Strawberries --- done for 2005 (actually, a few are still out there but the picking is slim). We will start renovating the fields soon. Thanks for a super Strawberry season.
Potatoes --- done dug. They were good a we look forward to them in 2006.
'Texas' the Maze --- very hard! The grass is now 7 to 12 feet tall and it is getting hard for even me to find the towns. The little white house that I used to navigate the panhandle with, can't be seen anymore - the grass is too tall. Even East Texas has grown up. I snicker when I see kids running with glee into the Maze and then dragging their feet as they exit it. I look at the parents and we agree "They will sleep good on the way home".
Wednesday, June 1, 2005 --- Yes, we survived the weekend. We had a wonderful time picking berries, even while dodging the rainstorms. We did get a storm pass through this morning but other than a little damage in the Maze it looks like we made it through in good shape. The "Kiowa" Blackberries are starting to produce well. These berries continue to amaze me at their shear size. The only problem we have in the Blackberry patch is that the limbs are bowing under the weight of all those berries.
The new potatoes have just about been all dug ---- they sure were good.
I am so ready to turn the Strawberry patch under but I just can't because we are still picking red berries. Although it is not very good picking and you do have to be patient, the berries seem to taste as good as ever.
The Tomatoes are right around the corner --- perhaps in a week or so we will have ripe ones to pick.
'Texas' the Maze suffered a little damage in last nights storm --- nothing a little hard work won't fix.
Monday May 23, 2005 ---- It is Blackberry time! Finally the Blackberries have turned the corner and are beginning to produce well. And not a moment too soon because the Strawberries are fading (melting) fast. I think that we have one more week of slim picking and then they will be caput for the 2005 season. It has been a banner Strawberry year and we hate to see them go.
Still digging potatoes, it looks like we have enough for 3 more weeks.
The tomatoes will be ripe some day. My dad checks on them twice a week, he is just green with anticipation ---- I suppose everyone will have to wait until he gets his fill before we have any to sale. I would expect to have some in the first of June.
The 'Texas' Maze has grown out nicely. I made the paths extra wide this spring in order for pedestrians to get a little more air than before. It is still hot in there but really not too much worse than anywhere else.
Come see us --- we'll be waiting for you.
Thursday, May 19, 2005 --- Tilden, Hallettsville, Coldspring, Emory, Bryan, Hamilton, Haskell, Gail, Sanderson, Van Horn, Leakey and Stinnett are the towns pedestrians will be looking for in the Maze, which will open this weekend. The only link between these towns is that they are all county seats. Since no one has been in yet, can't tell you how hard it is. A bunch of kids are going through tomorrow, I will tell you later how they did.
Blackberries - coming on strong. We picked a bunch today and the upward production trend should continue for the next couple of weeks.
In fact, this will be a good weekend to come out. You will be able to get Strawberries, Blackberries, Potatoes and walk through the Maze.
Tuesday morn, May 17, 2005 --- Well, the Blackberries have not yet "gone to town" but they are very close. They are almost to the "they're everywhere" stage, which might be by this weekend. Once they get started, we should have Blackberries to pick through the first of July. Right now the 'Brazos' variety is being picked. To me, it is the strongest flavored of our three varieties. This makes it the best cooking berry (like I do a lot of cooking), so I have been told. The 'Kiowa' and 'Arapaho' are still one and two weeks away.
Still diggin lots of red potatoes. Should have enough for at least two more weeks.
And we are still picking lots of very nice Strawberries. The picking is getting a little harder as the decline has started. We will try to pick every last one but I don't see them lasting longer than the end of this month.
I think we will open the 'Texas' Maze this weekend. West Texas looks great, East Texas is a little on the short side (but it is growing and trying to catch up). I should try to put the towns in soon. Still don't know what towns we are going to use, I suppose it will just be a hodge podge this year.
Monday May 9, 2005 --- Yesterday at about 5:30pm I was talking to a lady and it started raining, in brilliant sunshine. She said "well, the sun is out and it is raining. That means it is going to rain again tomorrow." To which I replied "Oh lady, you don't know what you're talking about"............................. 8am this morning - I couldn't get the old tractor started, 10am - stopped to help with a school group of 110 kids, noon - back to work on the tractor, 2:30pm - yahoo, it started! time to go mow. Hey, where did the sunshine go? 3pm ----- It is raining again! For the next 30 mins I was trying to figure out a way to discount this theory. I finally settled on "well, it is not reeaaalllly raining, it is just kinda sprinkling" -------- then the bottom fell out of the sky and I got soaked putting the tractor back up.
One thing for sure. The Strawberries are nice and clean. We are now picking the last gasp of strawberry production. I do think that we are going to wind up the 2005 Strawberry season within the next two weeks. Surely there will be a few berries toward the end of the month but chances are they will be small and hard to find.
The Potato patch is a bit muddy right now, Thursday should be a good day to dig.......... had another pot full last night, they are still good eating! You might ask why do we eat so many potatoes. For one thing they are very good but perhaps the most important reason ---- they are so easy to cook. The easiest way is to throw them in a pot of water, boil till they are tender, put them on a plate, dress them up with every concoction known to man ---- instant meal.
Blackberries ---- a few black ones now. By the weekend we might have enough to pick (might). For sure by the following Thursday they will be going to town. A few customers have snuck back and ate a few.
The 'Texas' Maze is coming around. West Texas looks great, East Texas is trying, the Panhandle is very nice, South Texas is a bit sparse, Central Texas is where the action will be. With the way it is growing we might open it up to pedestrians in two or three weeks.
Monday May 2, 2005 --- Well its' about time!! 'Cream' the goat finally had kids. To the excitement of many customers, she had twins mid afternoon yesterday. A customer came up to tell us that we were having kids, he said "one is out and another about half way!". When I got down to the pen there was quite a crowd watching ---- so much for privacy huh? I did hear one lady whose daughter had watched both births say "this should make for some interesting questions on the way home". Another ladies teenage son was grossed out by the event to which she replied "one of these days you're going to get married ---- and you will be carrying a video camera in the delivery room!" Now just two more nannies to go.
A good friend gave dad some chickens - his beloved Rhode Island Reds. So here we went to build a chicken coup and pen. I am kinda proud that we made it from wood out of the scrap pile, tin off my mother-in-laws house (no I did not remove it in the middle of the night), a few cedar posts from the pasture and even the sliding glass door I took off the house last year. I believe it turned out pretty nice and it seemed like the little chickens were very happy with their new pen. Now ----- is it coon proof?
Hey! those Strawberry plants are still producing very nice fruit. The picking is still very good. I think this will be the big surge and supply will slowly start to diminish toward the middle and late May.
The Blackberry crop looks great ---- maybe by the 15th we will be picking some.
We will start digging potatoes on Thursday.
The Maze is coming along some spots much better than others. I am waiting for it to get tall before cutting the paths, mowing them when it is short is much to easy and goes against my "do things the hard way" philosophy.
Monday April 25, 2005 --- Really not much new going on. The Strawberries are still producing good, there is plenty for everyone. The Blackberries are on the way, perhaps some will be ripe in about two weeks. The Potatoes are almost ready to dig, I think we might start next week. The Tomatoes are planted and growing like mad, maybe we'll have a few by the end of May. The maze is looking a little week, especially East Texas. We have thrown a few more seeds out trying to get it to fill in -- we shall see if it works. I think it will be ready by the end of May. A little hot weather will turn it loose and it will take off. One of the 'fixed' cats had kittens (I wonder if I can get my money back on that surgery?) and I thought three of the goats would have kids two weeks ago. I have almost decided they won't have kids - they are just really fat! Surely in the next week or so one of them will give birth. Every day I think some kid is going to run up and say "sir, something is coming out of your goats butt".
Monday April 18, 2005 --- What wonderful weather we have had for the last three weeks. I almost feel guilty that it has been so nice. We have a little rain in the forecast but at least it is not on a weekend (for a change). Last weekend we picked the patch pretty close, a few slow days will really turn the berries on for this coming weekend. Today was very slow, I would expect tomorrow to be the same, we will be closed on Wednesday = great picking Thursday, Friday and the weekend. The Strawberries are still producing well, the size has diminished some but that is expected. It all depends on the weather but I think they will continue to produce through mid May.
Man o' man, the Blackberry crop looks like it will be a good one. Perhaps we will be picking them in about 3 weeks.
Taters ---- we are going to have a mess of them in about two weeks. Normally it takes about 3 to 4 weeks to dig them all. Therefore, we should be diggin' taters all the way through May.
East Texas is a little thin, we have planted a few more seeds there but we shall see if and when they come up. After a slow start it appears to be growing now. We should lay out towns and pathways before long. With any luck, 'Texas' the maze should be ready late May.
Tomatoes ---- planted and growing like weeds. Late May or early June should bring us fresh Tomatoes.
Monday April 11, 2005 --- Still windy but that is OK ---- won't be long before it is really hot and we will be wishing for a breeze. Seems we are barely dodging those hail storms. One was in the area last night --- luckily we had no hail, just 3/4 inch of rain, which helped settle the dust. It was a little wet this morning but by the afternoon it was easy walking in most places. We have a little drainage problem on the front end of the back strawberry block so you really need to walk around to the horse pen before entering the strawberry rows --- not to worry though, that is where the best berries are. Well, there might be an area where there is even better berries ---- there is a few spots in the field where we did not get the clover pulled out. No one seems to pick where the clover is trying to cover up the berries ------ sooooo, look for a spot in the row where the clover is growing, pull the clover back and boom, there are the berries no one has picked. While you are there you might as well pull that clover out and throw it in the middle (really, I am telling you the truth ---- not just trying to get you to weed my field ---------- honest .......).
Boy howdy, the Blackberries are blooming up a storm. They are looking good so far ---- keep your fingers crossed, we should be picking them in mid May.
The 'Texas' maze is sure taking its' time getting started. There are a few week spots that we might try to plant a few more seeds. This spring seems like it has been pretty cool, I think that perhaps the ground has not warmed up enough to really get the grass going well. It appears to have grown over the past few days so maybe it is about to take off. We are still shooting for late May.
Got your tater diggin boots ready? Won't be long now --- maybe just two or thee weeks and we will start digging potatoes.
Tuesday April 5, 2005 --- Seems that the wind has not let up since the last update ---- would it help if I said "OK, now the doctor says the wind needs to slow down"? I don't think that is going to do much good. One thing for sure, we don't have to worry about slippin' and sliding mud at the moment. The patch has finally dried out and we are harvesting a bunch of berries. The crowds have been good (thanks, if you have already come out) but we are barely keeping up with production. When those Strawberry plants decide to ripen fruit - they ripen a bunch at a time. Needless to say, we have lots of berries for everyone to pick. It looks like this will be the case for at least the next two weeks.
The Blackberry blooms narrowly escaped a frost last Friday night. We had a good many open blooms and we were afraid they might get hurt. Luckily (or should I say someone was watching out for us) the temps only got into the mid 30's and the blooms escaped injury. The 'Brazos'' variety is blooming up a storm with the other varieties close behind. So far the crop looks good. We expect to start picking Blackberries in mid May.
Monday March 28, 2005 --- The sun and wind is just what the doctor ordered to help dry out the patch. We still had plenty of folks get in the mud today but there was also alot that didn't (I think some went into the muddy areas on purpose). The berries being picked are unbelievable --- very, very nice. I believe we will have plenty of Strawberries for everyone from now till the last of April. I don't think you will have to worry about not having berries to pick.
I saw a few Blackberry blooms today --- by this weekend I bet the Brazos are blooming heavily --- should be pretty.
I also saw the Pecan trees starting to put out ----- could our cold weather be finished? Hope so.
Saturday night, March 26, 2005 --- We still have berries but you might have to swim to get them. Most pickers today just pulled off their shoes and went barefoot into the strawberry patch ----- nothin' like the feeling of mud squishing between your toes. I am afraid tomorrow is going to be the same way. Now you really can tell the grandkids "well, let me tell ya, I remember when I had to walk through mud up to my knees to get some food to put on the table. In fact, that mud was so deep that I started out fully clothed and by the time I was finished my shoes, socks and pants had done been sucked off by the mud --------- that was one cold trip".
The sun is supposed to come out tomorrow, along with a stiff breeze. The two might work together to dry things out enough for Monday (even then there will still be some puddles for little Johnny to find).
Friday night, March 25, 2005 --- The berries picked today were as nice as any I have seen. We did pick a lot today, but there is still plenty for tomorrows picking.
What sounded like a sizeable thunderstorm just rolled through. Even though hail was reported in this storm, I don't think we received any. The field is sure to be wet in places, perhaps old shoes would be in order if coming out tomorrow.
Wednesday, March 23, 2005 --- Whooaaa, where have I been? Obviously not in the front block of Strawberry plants. I was out in the field yesterday evening and surprisingly saw a bunch of berries ---- some really nice berries. We are going to have a lot more berries for the weekend than I previously thought we were. If coming, try to come early to make sure you get plenty. The animals are anxiously awaiting your arrival, as well as we --- hope to see you soon.
Tuesday March 22, 2005 ---- still waitin'. The 'Sweet Charlie' variety has been producing well but our main variety 'Chandler' is taking its' sweet time getting started. We are picking some berries now but have not yet reached the point where they are producing well. I think we are trying to hurry them along, when we look at the Date we realize it is still a little early yet. April is normally the month they turn loose, and it looks like it will be that way again this year.
One thing for sure, the berries are nice and clean. With a shower Saturday afternoon and another Monday morning we were on pens and needles with reports of hail in the area. Luckily neither farm experienced any more than a little pea size hail --- we do not expect any damage from this round of weather. It looks like the remainder of this week will be very nice moderate weather -- that should go a long way in helping the berries pick up the ripening pace a bit. I expect to have berries by Friday but am not sure how many we will have for the weekend. The Lexington farm is producing more berries at the moment. For ripe berries -- Lexington is the place to head.
The Blackberry canes are beginning to put out leaves. The 'Brazos' variety (the earliest producer) is beginning to show some tight flower buds. 'Kiowa' is not showing buds yet and 'Arapaho' is just starting to put out leaves. I would expect to start seeing open flowers by next week ----- hope the last freeze has passed!!!
Saturday morning, March 19, 2005 ---- If you are looking for ripe berries today, tomorrow or Monday -- go to the Lexington farm. The winters seem to be a couple of degrees warmer over there and we can sure see it in crop maturity. We have some very nice ripe Chandlers in Lexington and just a few here in Marble Falls. The weather looks like it is going to be nice for the next couple of days - Lexington is where I would head for ripe berries. Customers picked most of the ripe berries here in Marble Falls yesterday and not too many ripened overnight ---- we have a ton on the way they are just not quite ready. If you reside on the East side of I35 -- take a look at the directions link - Lexington might be a closer drive for you.
'Texas' and 'America' were planted last week --- we are trying a new variety of grass so we will see how it turns out. If all goes as planned (does that happen?), the Mazes' will be ready for pedestrians around mid to late May.
The Blackberries are putting out - no blooms yet but they are not far away ---- spring is springing!!!
Well, almost springing -- we had a nasty little freeze Wednesday night. Our potatoes were sprouting and those tops got nipped (don't worry, they come back). Luckily we had the majority of the Strawberries covered. Many of the uncovered blooms were killed but all the green fruit is OK (the green fruit will sustain colder temps than the tender bloom). I don't think our production will be hurt much because 90% of the plants were protected and are doing great! This was a very manageable freeze ----- hope that is the last one of the spring!!! I have not seen any Mesquite or Pecan trees budding out --- that is bad , those trees do not get fooled very often so there might still be some cold weather coming.
Sunday morning, March 13, 2005 --- Remember, our season is just now starting. Strawberry production starts slow and builds up to the peak in the first of April. Right now we are picking the 'Sweet Charlie' variety, of which we only have 15,000 plants. Yesterday customers picked most of the ripe berries on these plants so please don't expect to "load up" on berries if you are planning to come out today or tomorrow. The Strawberries are an amazing critter in that, when production is strong, alot will ripen overnight. But this early in the season it takes them a few days to ripen. One way to make sure you get the pick of the crop for that day is to come early. For instance, we had a lot of ripe berries yesterday all the way up to noon or so, after that they started getting scarce.
This of course, will all change when our main variety, 'Chandler', comes into production. A very few of these berries are ripe now with many more to come in about two weeks. I would expect that the latter part of this month and the first half of April will be wide open berry pickin.
The weather has been so nice the last few days that it is impossible to stay away from the farm, bring a picnic lunch, see the Goats, pet the Horses, follow the Cats and pick a few berries.
Tuesday, March 08, 2005 --- It appears that the chickens (strawberries) have hatched and we can start counting them now. I think we will be safe telling you that this coming Thursday (March 10) will be the start of the 2005 season here in Marble Falls (Lexington started last week). With this glorious sunshine and a breeze things should start drying out here and hopefully we will be getting back to normal. I was out in the Strawberry patch this morning and was pleasantly surprised by the amount of berries that are just about ready to pick. It seems they were just waiting for a little sunshine also. Sooooo, Come on out, we'll be waitin for ya!
Wednesday, March 02, 2005 --- Funny how things come full circle. I remember as a wee little lad singing "Row, Row, Row your boat gently down the stream" and now (a few years later) I caught myself singing "Row, Row, Row your boat gently down the strawberry row". It is a tad wet here, if this rain keeps up I am going to have to get me a pair of boots that do not have a hole in them! I am getting tired of wet feet (or should I say 'web' feet). Not to worry though, a few days of sunshine and things will be in good shape. It seems like over the past few weeks we have had a problem stringing together a "few days of sunshine". I guarantee there will be a time this year when we will be saying "whew, it is getting pretty dry here, I wonder if it is ever going to rain again?". You know, we had 7 consecutive weekends of rain in 2004, perhaps Mother Nature is getting it out of her system now that we have had 5 consecutive rainy weekends in 2005. I am sure that when we start picking berries it is going to clear up and be perfect weather.
Sorry, I am not going to tell you exactly when we are going to start picking ---- but it won't be long! The Lexington farm has some berries ready to pick now. It is wet over there especially after today's rain. Saturday should be a good day ----- IF it doesn't rain between now and then (that is a big if considering the cycle we are in).
Thursday, February 24, 2005 --- There is no holding things back now. Whether we are ready or not, Spring is about to Sprung. This time of the year is a critical time to solve some growing problems before they get out of hand, ie. weed control etc. We catch ourselves doing a chore and knowing something else also needs to be done but what is it? Don't worry we'll find out in about a month what that thing was that we should have done but couldn't remember.
I am sorry she is sick but I am home with the kid today and having some fun playing gamecube, updating the website and eating. Luckily for me it is overcast and rainy so my mind is not at the patch. We are hoping mother nature is getting these rainy spells out of her system. Another season like last years 7 consecutive weekends of rain would not be good for us. One thing for sure, God takes care of us in the low and high times so it is better not to worry about it right? Easier said then done - but we try.
Speaking of the patch - here come dem mouthwatering strawberries! The Lexington farm could open as early as this Saturday (depends on if it dries up enough to get into the field - check the Lexington Fresh News) and the Marble Falls farm could open a week or so later. During the season it seems like the berries go on a roller coaster of sweetness ride. One week they are really sweet and the next, maybe not as sweet. What makes them sweet? A myriad of things all of which we do not know. We have made one correlation though, it seems that a combination of cool nights and sunny days will make the sweetest berry. I say this because I ate some berries in Lexington earlier this week that were unbelievably sweet, perhaps the sweetest I have ever had.
The first part of the season is my personal favorite time to pick. The berries are not hugely abundant in supply so you will have to walk farther and look harder for a full basket BUT if you take your time and are selective with your pickings, you will end up with a box full of the largest, sweetest, prettiest berries you have ever had. I know that the large berries are normally no sweeter than the small ones but it is more fun to get the big ones. Here in Marble Falls we have a fellow that comes out just about every week. It takes him about a hour to pick a 7# box of berries but his berries are picture perfect. He must walk at least a mile of row (if you strung all the strawberry rows end to end it would stretch 5.5 miles) It is really hard not to pick every red berry but he has mastered the technique of being patient and only picking those berries meeting his criteria.
The Blackberry canes are not to be left behind. The buds are starting to break and you can see a little bit of green coming out. We don't want them to come out too fast or we might have a late freeze. I will say this though, out of 15 years of growing Blackberries I have only seen one year where the crop was completely lost and two years of a reduced crop. They normally don't get fooled and with the average last freeze taking place here on March 3rd maybe they are trying to tell us something? I know the Pecan trees are not coming out yet, I wonder if the Mesquite trees are showing any signs?
Saturday February 12, 2005 --- Guess what? It is still kinda wet, actually kinda is putting it mildly. We have been slopping around in the mud the last week or two trying to get things done. Some of the Potatoes have been planted but it won't dry out enough for me to finish building the rest of the beds. I don't know what my problem is but I am having trouble completing any objective. I think that my next short term goal is to finish something that I start.
Spring Break and Easter are both early this year so we have had the frost covers out over the Strawberry plants in an attempt to hurry them along. On a sunny day the temps can be 10 - 20 degrees warmer underneath the covers. This is a real tricky practice and we are just taking a gamble that the February and March temps are not too low. So far it seems to be working, the 'Sweet Charlie' plants are covered in blooms and we hope to start picking ripe berries the first of March. We like to take the covers off every now and then to let the plants air out and get a little sun. Unfortunately the covers have not been able to dry out enough for us to roll up (a 50' * 300' cover is very heavy when damp). Hopefully we will get the covers off before long and see what is happening underneath.
It won't be long before Spring breaks open and things start growing ---- Stop! I don't think I a ready!
Monday January 31, 2005 ---- Wow, it went from being kinda dry to very wet in just a few days. I am surprised at how wet it is, I expected the ground to soak up the moisture pretty fast but that is just not happening. It is a good time to catch up on office work.
The 'Sweet Charlie' strawberry plants have an average of two to three new blooms on them. We will try to protect these blooms by covering them with blankets whenever the temps are forecast to go below freezing. If we are successful in protecting these blooms - we could have berries in a month. We'll see about that, it sure would not hurt my feelings to open up the first of March.
Monday evening January 24, 2005 ---- What a nice day --- or it was a nice day and things were going good but then I had to ruin it. I was making potato beds, and they were looking good. I had ten more to go and wanted to finish before dark ------------- I have no idea where the little goat came from ------- all I know is I looked back behind the tractor to see if the plastic was covering the raised bed OK and there was a goat head sticking out of the plastic. I got the goat out of the bed but it was too late, the damage had been done. Poor little Apple Cider was just about gone (I think it is a bad omen to name a farm animal). I had to go bury her so now I am bummed.
I think the best thing to do would be to record an obituary : Apple Cider, Goat - October, 2004 to January 2005, don't know if she has any survivors because she was a bottle fed orphan, favorite word - Naaaaa, favorite food - sweet feed, favorite thing - the red collar granny just bought her...... We'll miss your little tail a wag 'in
The Strawberry plants are covered up right now so I can't tell you how they are doing. My guess is they are doing just fine under there. We are trying to heat them up a little, prevent the blossoms from freezing, and hoping they will have some red berries in a month or so. The season is right around the corner.
Well, I'm done for the day --- think I will go home and go to bed.
Wednesday January 05, 2005 ---- How bout that, I wrote the date correctly the first time. We are back now from the Holidays and ready to get back to work. The farm is looking pretty good right now (for this time of the year). Much more of this mild weather and the Strawberries are going to start blooming again. Only one year can I remember opening up for picking before March, if we get another week or two of mild weather ---- maybe this could be the second year. The last two weeks of January and the month of February is a critical time in the life of our Strawberry plants. During this time we do not need any temps lower than 24 degrees. Uppers 30's or warmer at night and 60' or 70's during the day would be just right. Before long we will start covering the plants anytime a freeze is forecast. 4 or 5 cover applications are normal, any more than that becomes a nuisance. These mild temps can fake the plants into blooming only to be zapped by a blue northern a week later.
It has been kinda misting all day and now that a front has blown in we have retreated to the office. So many new ideas have been flying around that my brain is starting to hurt, so like many warm blooded Americans, I think I will just go feed the animals and go home ----- I will get on those new ideas first thing in the morning.
As for things on the farm --- going good. It is a little (lot) dry at the moment. Today I am going to put some sprinklers out on the green belt to see if we can get some grass to grow. You would not believe it but we are still cleaning up from the year. Perhaps it is taking a little (lot) longer than it should because we have not been in much of a hurry to get it done. We have a little deer damage in one corner of the Strawberry patch. It seems that the Strawberry plants are the only green thing in a five mile radius. Every time I fix the hole in the fence another pops up --- determined little rascals!
Get ready .......... those Strawberries should be ready about March 12th. My favorite times to pick are March 24th (for the really big ones) and April 12th (for the "there is more berries here than you could shake a stick at" ones). Best time to pick Blackberries is June 8th. So go ahead and mark your calendars now.
Thursday December 1, 2005 --- Seems like November passed by in a hurry. Believe it or not - we are still cleaning up from the Fall season. We took the last of the leftover pumpkins to the neighbors goats and cows ---- boy were they happy to see us! One more little group through the Texas maze this weekend and then we will be able to mow her down and work up the field - that will be fun. The Strawberry plants have been enjoying this mild weather -- they seem to be right on schedule for a big crop in the Spring. Ooops, better get the kiddos to school. By the way, I don't think we will do "Christmas on the Farm" this year - perhaps in coming years but not 2005.
Tuesday November 22, 2005 --- Thank you for a wonderful Fall season. It is time for the farms to close down now and start getting ready for next Spring. While we are closed and no doubt will move with a little less urgency there is still plenty of work for us to do. I suppose the month of December carries the lightest work load for us. The Maze in Lexington has now been mowed down and we are going to attempt to plant it to clover today. It is a bit late to plant but you never know with our weather what is going to happen - it might turn off mild for the next month.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Friday November 18, 2005 --- After above normal temperatures the first half of November it seems we are now running a little below normal. Our first hard freeze of the winter occurred yesterday morning, not to worry though, I don't think we had any damage. Some of the most tender growth on the Strawberry plants might have been nipped a little but the damage should be minimal. So far the Strawberries seem to be growing off very nicely. Just think in 4 months we should be picking them!
Today and tomorrow will be our last days of the Fall season. I know it has been very dry and the local ranchers would like to have seen a lot more rain, but for us - it has been just right. We had only one rain out the entire month of October. As opposed to prior years when we have had entire weeks rained out. The last 150 kids of the fall group season will be coming out this morning and I would expect tomorrow to be a very light crowd. The goats will be happy to see the season end --- they get all the leftover pumpkins. Unfortunately for them we don't have many left.
The new barn ( a year in the making now) is almost finished. Just a few more pieces of old tin to put on this morning and it will be complete --- maybe. Yesterday I was thinking that it would be nice to add another 12 feet to the back side. I am sure someone once said "You can't have a barn too big".
Wednesday November 2, 2005 --- God is good! We are having a great Fall season and HE deserves all the credit. All you people that have come out deserve some credit too - thanks for "Harvesting the Fun" with us. While the Lexington farm is going to close for now (only temporarily though, the Strawberries should be ready to pick in Lexington around March 10th, 2006) the Marble Falls farm is staying open through November 19th. Here in Marble Falls we will still be taking hayrides, milking cows, stuffing scarecrows, painting pumpkins, shelling corn, walking across Texas (hayfield Maze), petting goats, petting horses and much much more. We are sold out of large Pumpkins but we still have some gourds and specialty pumpkins for your fall decorations.
The Strawberries have all been planted and are starting to show new growth. This weather has made for amazingly good growing conditions. So far both farms look the plants will be in excellent shape heading into winter. This has been a good start to what we hope will be a marvelous 2006 Strawberry crop.
Not to leave out the Blackberries. In Lexington the canes look better than they ever have. For now we have the weeds under control and the canes have been pruned and trellised. Barring any disasters, I believe the 2006 Blackberry crop in Lexington will be incredible. Most of the Blackberry canes in Marble Falls looks pretty good also. We do have some Arapaho canes that did not receive enough water this fall and are now suffering. All the Blackberries are on an irrigation system but we have problems in some areas and just did not have enough time to get it fixed correctly this past summer when the plants needed it most. Fixing these problems will be a big priority this winter.
We have removed a few rows of Blackberries (a variety I did not like) in order to make room for a spring planting of misc. vegetables. We will move the Tomato patch up to this area and plan to plant a few things my wife likes (squash, peppers, and other stuff). Reworking this area will also be a priority this winter.
It seems my priority list for the winter keeps growing --- For a long time I have been wanting to build a shed to put the Tractors and equipment under. With the wood from a building in town that is being demolished I think this shed might soon be a reality.
Friday October 28, 2005 ---- Wow, the weather the past two weeks has been incredible! We did get a very small shower yesterday morning - just exactly what we needed to settle the dust. It does not happen very often but when the weather cooperates it sure does make everything flow easier. Most of our patrons sure have been "harvesting the fun". I suppose that is why we are in this business --the vast majority of the people that visit us are happy. Even our helpers have commented "this is a fun place to work". I am guilty of getting so caught up in what needs to be done in the future that I lose sight of what is going on at the moment. Therefore, I think I will relax and take it easy today (yeah right, that will last until 10am when we have a 100 school kids scheduled to go through the maze).
Wednesday October 19, 2005 --- So far we are having an awesome fall season. The afternoons have been a little too warm but the mornings are just right. And the forecast for the weekend looks spectacular with a cool front coming in Friday bringing the high temps down to the upper 70's ------ I am soooo ready!!!!
- We are almost finished planting Strawberries here in Marble Falls. I think we should finish tomorrow - I will breathe a breath of relief when the last plant goes into the ground. After planting we like to overhead sprinkle them for a few days to help in establishment. Once the transplant shock has worn off they will begin to settle in for the winter. In our climate the plants seem to grow most of the winter, only if the temps are going to drop below the low teens will we cover them up. If all goes right they will begin blooming next February and we will be picking ripe strawberries by mid March of 2006.
- Saturday will offer customers an added treat with the 3rd Annual UFO Disc Dog Tournament coming to the farm. If you haven't seen the flying disc dogs before - now is the time. It is a lot of fun to watch the frisbee dogs in action as they compete for world series points. The dog owners are super friendly and would be honored to give you a few tips on training your dog if only you will ask them --- don't be bashful.
Monday October 10, 2005 --- 9:30 am --- all activities will be running today. We do have a few wet spots caused by the rain early this morning so don't wear flip flops. Come on out, we would love to have you.
Tuesday October 4th, 2005 --- Last week we had two days of cooler weather that really set the tone for the season -- then came the weekend and summer proved it was not over yet. I see in the forecast that more cool temperatures are coming --- bring them on! This coming weekend looks like it will be a dandy ---- the farm looks great, all the activities are set up, the weather seems like it is going to cooperate - now all we need is you.
Have you seen what's moo at the farm? Yes we now have a milk cow, and we are encouraging everyone to milk Miss Bessie. She is not a live cow, but a fiberglass one instead with an udder and four teats. Each 'handle' lights up and the object of the game is to squeeze the one that is lit. Let me back up ------- First you have to purchase a 'Milk Miss Bessie' ticket, on the ticket are four items (hay, water, grain, udder cream) for each of which there is a sign somewhere throughout the farm activities. You must find the sign for each item and use the hole punch hanging on the sign to mark your ticket. Once you have found the ingredients to feed the cow, and 'hand lotion' - you get to milk the cow. If you squeeze more than 5 lit 'handles' - then you have provided enough milk to win a free scoop of Ice Cream. It is kinda corny but tons of fun. I personally have named the cow "relief"' ---- are you stressed out? go milk the cow and you will find out why she is so named. (needless to say, I am telling my wife to "go milk the cow!" alot these days).
Finally, all the Strawberry beds have been made. Strawberry plants should be coming this week and we will start planting as soon as we can. I have had a request to bring back the 'guest planter' program. Sure, if you want to help plant just hop right in. Plans are to plant in Lexington this Friday and next Tuesday. After that we will start planting here in Marble Falls whenever we can get a crew together.
Wednesday September 28, 2005 --- I am a bit perplexed (I am sure you are surprised right?), we are now open for the Fall season but it is so hot that we don't want anyone to come out. This is just crazy heat. How hot is it? we have a display of corn on the cob -- yep, some of the kernels popped right on the cob. It is absolutely miserably hot and here we are trying to build Strawberry beds and gearing up for October. Therefore, please do not come out to the patch until the temperature is forecast to be under 91 degrees. We want everyone to have the most fun they ever had when visiting the farm and it just not going to happen if the hay from stuffing the scarecrow sticks to you like a tar and feathering.
I mentioned that we are now building Strawberry beds, just about a week behind schedule. We were hoping to get a drop or two of rain to moisten the dirt. Well, we haven't had any rain since mid July. So now we are putting out sprinklers and wetting the patch down in front of the bedding machine. It is actually working pretty well but it doubles the work we have to do. Oh well, nothing has been easy this summer so why start now?
Surely the temperatures are going to come down some day and when they do we are ready to "Harvest the Fall Fun". The patch is really looking very good considering the weather conditions and we have a lot of pumpkins ready for purchase among lots of fun activities. We have hayrides ready to go, pumpkins ready to paint, scarecrows ready to stuff and much much more. We have added a welcome shed and are enlarging one of our barns. The Kid and Texas Mazes are taking a beating from heat, drought, and worms but they are still passable.
Monday September 19, 2005 --- Yipee! We have made some real headway at the Lexington farm lately. First, the Strawberry beds are made and now awaiting plants. The beds made up better than ever and we are very happy with them so far. We will increase the Strawberry planting this year by several thousand plants. Second, the 'America' Maze is practically ready for pedestrians - just need to put the destination points in it. All you Maze aficionados will want to head to Lexington this year as the 'America' Maze is going to be far better than the 'Texas' Maze here in Marble Falls. 'America' stands about 10 feet tall in most places where 'Texas' is only about 5 feet. Third, Pumpkins! the pumpkins are being displayed and the place is getting ready to open soon.
Now we need to focus on some work here in Marble Falls. Making Strawberry beds, displaying Pumpkins and getting ready to open for the Fall are the priorities. Actually, trying to keep everything watered is number one priority. It sure has been very hot and dry here and I am not in much of a Fall spirit. Surely this will be the last really Hot week of the summer? The mornings seem a bit cooler so Fall temps can't be far away? Sometimes I think I am worse than a woman ----- my mood swings with the weather something fierce. And with the record high temperatures this week, extremely dry conditions and what seems like a plague of worms (I even found some in the Port O Can!) ---- guess what it has been like to be around me. What am I saying!!!! Worse than a woman?!? no way!
Wednesday September 07, 2005 ---- The farms are closed to the public right now but that certainly does not mean the work stops. After a long day I think I am ready to turn in. The patch is looking good and we are frantically trying to get ready for the Fall Season along with just trying to keep everything alive. Can you believe we will be opening with pumpkins in just a few weeks? Great, I had to remind myself! Now I won't be able to sleep. The minimum temps seem to be slowly inching downwards, a sure sign that Fall is coming. It would be an understatement for me to say "I am kinda ready for a little cooler weather".
Monday August 22, 2005 --- HWD -- that's the story and I'm stickin to it.
Hot --- mucho hot this week.
Worms!!!! the count is now Worms - 2 million, Farmer Dan -1. I don't mind admitting it, the worms are beating me up. I thought I had them under control and the section of the maze that was looking dull green was only because it was dry --- nope, a gadzillion worms had moved in. I guess what makes me the most upset is that I'm playing the Nintendo with the kids and I think the laughing I hear is coming from my wife watching me play ------- no, it is the collective insidious "He, He, He" of a million worms munching away. Only does the laugh stop long enough for them to say "Hmm, Hmm, Hmm". Well, laugh away you worms Farmer Dan is down but NOT OUT - it is time to get ugly.
Dry -- not only is it mucho Hot, it is mucho Dry. We are struggling to keep everything watered. Our poor ole water pump is running 24 hours a day --- I certainly hope it does not go down.
Not to worry though ---- overall the patch is looking pretty good. We are going great guns now trying to get ready for Pumpkin season. It is very hard for me to think that it is ever going to cool down when I am melting away in 100+ degree heat. It is coming though, before you know it ---- we do like the Fall season! Every one is just giddy with joy as soon as the temperature breaks and you just feel Fall in the air.
Monday August 08, 2005 --- The 'Texas' Maze is planted! Yippee! It has been watered once and the seeds are already beginning to germinate. My wife said I sounded a little harsh on last weeks update - especially number 2. Don't get me wrong, it was no fault of the fellow I asked to cut my hay that it took so long --- the weather just would not cooperate.
Not only has the maze been planted but we finished pruning Blackberries today! double Yippee! Things are looking up!
Tomorrow we are headed to Lexington to prune Blackberries over there. The America maze in Lexington has been planted for two weeks now and is really looking good. We already had a bout with worms --- so far the count is farmer 1, worms 0. Just as I write this I wonder if they are out there chomping away? - perhaps I will check for worms again tomorrow.
Tuesday August 02, 2005 --- Tested, I think I am being tested.
First: I cut out a pipe because we are trying to improve our drainage and I thought we would be digging a ditch through it ---- ended up that I did not need to cut it out ---- no big deal I will just put it back ...... yeah right! I "fixed" it only to find out the pipe had a hole in it, then I "fixed" it again only to find I had a faulty coupling, then I did something goofy, then I finally got it right (actually I don't entirely know, I decided to cover it back up with dirt before testing it out)
Second: I have been chomping at the bit to get the 'Texas' maze cultivated and planted, which I could not do until the grass from the spring Maze was taken care of. So about 4 weeks ago I asked a fellow to cut and bale it, he said "oh yeah, I can do that in a couple of days - I will be there in a day or two and we'll knock it out. A couple of days turned into a couple of weeks. It has been cut for a week or so but it wouldn't dry out because we keep getting these afternoon showers. Well, the grass finally dried out and he was coming yesterday to bale it ---- what do you think happened? A thunderstorm erupted right over the farm. Luckily it did not rain too much and it was able to dry out today -- we finished baling it this evening and hauled all the hay out. I tell you --- one day I am going to own every piece of farm equipment known to man, then I will not have to borrow or ask anyone for anything!
Third: was really just a test of scruples. An old coot from down the road (I don't think he has a computer, so I can say that with some insurance that he won't read it) kinda smirked when I was building my chicken coup, he told me he was unsure of whether or not it would keep the varmits out, to which I replied "What do you mean, I am not going to let no stinking coon get my chickens!" When he found out something did get in and kill ALL of my dads chickens I could feel that smirk again (actually he was nice enough to give me some replacements). Well, he didn't want to tell me but I found out something got in HIS coup and killed 40 of HIS chickens in one night. Have you ever tried to get a tear in your eye while you were holding back a smile? Somehow I do not think my "Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that" sounded real sincere.
Overall I am fairly pleased with how the farm is progressing. Pumpkin season is right around the corner and we are starting to get excited.
Monday July 25, 2005 --- This will be very hard ---- I am going to try to get through this update without talking about the weather.......... Now there is nothing to say..........
oh yeah, a stinkin no good for nothin varmit got in the chicken coup and killed 10 of my dads chickens, he crawled 6' up the side of the coup and pushed in the wire to get through. I fixed that hole and low and behold if he didn't dig a foot deep tunnel in the back and get two more the next night. Ok, fool me once - maybe even twice but now I am going to reinforce the coup to make it a fortress that we can retreat to in a nuclear blast.
I am still having a hard time getting any one thing accomplished. I can say that we got "America" the maze planted, fertilized and irrigated. In fact it is already coming up, now to keep those worms out of it. This year I am ready for them and just waiting to pounce ---- come on out little worms, farmer Dan has a surprise for you.
Unfortunately, "Texas" is way behind. right now the spring maze has been cut and is laying down waiting to be baled, which can't be done until it dries out. Not to worry though, we have all the way to the 10th of August to get it planted. Yikes!!! only 15 days!!
The tomatoes are finished and I am pulling them out as fast as I can! We will turn this area into a grassy field for the fall.
We are slowly pruning Blackberries (will we ever finish?).
I really have a good feeling about this fall ----- make plans now to come out in October --- it will be a blast.
Thursday July 14, 2005 ---- I believe it is a bit warm here. The Tomato harvest is still going strong. I suppose I would be more excited about Tomatoes if only I liked to eat them. I love Ketchup and I like them on a sandwich but there is no way I am going to eat one by itself. A big box of nice round red tomatoes are pretty though. Oh well, my wife and parents will eat more than my share.
There is so much to do here and it is so hard to get motivated in this heat. Earlier this week I had to fix a water leak ---- it took me two days and 4 tries to do a 30 minute job. You can hear the eyes roll in my wife's head anytime I say "yeah, I can do that in about 30 minutes". Just when I finally get on a roll something comes up and so I have decided not to start anything - then I won't get deterred and frustrated ----- right???
I do hope to get 'America' planted in the next few days (that would be the Maze in Lexington), it might be a bit early to plant it but we are determined to make this the best Maze ever in Lexington.
Tuesday July 5th, 2005 --- sorry for missing the last two weeks - I just got home last night from a two week mission trip to Kenya. 48 Youth and Adults from our church went over there to spread the good news of Jesus Christ and also help a new church get started. It is winter there so the weather was perfect (60s at night, 70s in the day) not to mention there was 802 salvations -- God is good! Be on the lookout - I might put my pictures in the picture gallery.
I spent the day checking out the patch and trying to get caught up on things. The Blackberries are for sure finished producing for the year, but the Tomatoes are going very strong. We have 9 varieties and they are all loaded. If you like fresh home grown Tomatoes --- have we got a deal for you. Be sure to see the revised hours on the home page. I need to get busy for the rest of the month as deadlines have to be met. I suppose the first priority will be getting the Mazes mowed, plowed, plowed again, leveled, fertilized and ready for planting.
After the mazes are taken care of we have a ton of other stuff to do. In August we are closed for business but that does not mean the work stops - it actually picks up and gets heavier.
Sunday June 19, 2005 --- busy, busy, busy. We have been very busy lately and it seems one thing after another needs doing. Not to mention it has been a little warm also. I would definitely recommend coming out to the patch in the mornings.
The Blackberries are producing very well and should all the way up to July.
Lots of Tomatoes to pick also.
The Strawberry and potato fields are being renovated.
We are not sure what is going to happen in July so if coming out after June -- please call.
Monday June 6, 2005 --- Blackberries - producing very well! The thornless 'Arapaho' and the giant 'Kiowa' are both producing berries. The best berries are down low and inside of the canes. Many customers only pick a small window right in front of their face, so if you will look high and low --- you won't be sorry. In fact, this is the time to put the kids to good use, tell them to get those berries down low.
Strawberries --- done for 2005 (actually, a few are still out there but the picking is slim). We will start renovating the fields soon. Thanks for a super Strawberry season.
Potatoes --- done dug. They were good a we look forward to them in 2006.
'Texas' the Maze --- very hard! The grass is now 7 to 12 feet tall and it is getting hard for even me to find the towns. The little white house that I used to navigate the panhandle with, can't be seen anymore - the grass is too tall. Even East Texas has grown up. I snicker when I see kids running with glee into the Maze and then dragging their feet as they exit it. I look at the parents and we agree "They will sleep good on the way home".
Wednesday, June 1, 2005 --- Yes, we survived the weekend. We had a wonderful time picking berries, even while dodging the rainstorms. We did get a storm pass through this morning but other than a little damage in the Maze it looks like we made it through in good shape. The "Kiowa" Blackberries are starting to produce well. These berries continue to amaze me at their shear size. The only problem we have in the Blackberry patch is that the limbs are bowing under the weight of all those berries.
The new potatoes have just about been all dug ---- they sure were good.
I am so ready to turn the Strawberry patch under but I just can't because we are still picking red berries. Although it is not very good picking and you do have to be patient, the berries seem to taste as good as ever.
The Tomatoes are right around the corner --- perhaps in a week or so we will have ripe ones to pick.
'Texas' the Maze suffered a little damage in last nights storm --- nothing a little hard work won't fix.
Monday May 23, 2005 ---- It is Blackberry time! Finally the Blackberries have turned the corner and are beginning to produce well. And not a moment too soon because the Strawberries are fading (melting) fast. I think that we have one more week of slim picking and then they will be caput for the 2005 season. It has been a banner Strawberry year and we hate to see them go.
Still digging potatoes, it looks like we have enough for 3 more weeks.
The tomatoes will be ripe some day. My dad checks on them twice a week, he is just green with anticipation ---- I suppose everyone will have to wait until he gets his fill before we have any to sale. I would expect to have some in the first of June.
The 'Texas' Maze has grown out nicely. I made the paths extra wide this spring in order for pedestrians to get a little more air than before. It is still hot in there but really not too much worse than anywhere else.
Come see us --- we'll be waiting for you.
Thursday, May 19, 2005 --- Tilden, Hallettsville, Coldspring, Emory, Bryan, Hamilton, Haskell, Gail, Sanderson, Van Horn, Leakey and Stinnett are the towns pedestrians will be looking for in the Maze, which will open this weekend. The only link between these towns is that they are all county seats. Since no one has been in yet, can't tell you how hard it is. A bunch of kids are going through tomorrow, I will tell you later how they did.
Blackberries - coming on strong. We picked a bunch today and the upward production trend should continue for the next couple of weeks.
In fact, this will be a good weekend to come out. You will be able to get Strawberries, Blackberries, Potatoes and walk through the Maze.
Tuesday morn, May 17, 2005 --- Well, the Blackberries have not yet "gone to town" but they are very close. They are almost to the "they're everywhere" stage, which might be by this weekend. Once they get started, we should have Blackberries to pick through the first of July. Right now the 'Brazos' variety is being picked. To me, it is the strongest flavored of our three varieties. This makes it the best cooking berry (like I do a lot of cooking), so I have been told. The 'Kiowa' and 'Arapaho' are still one and two weeks away.
Still diggin lots of red potatoes. Should have enough for at least two more weeks.
And we are still picking lots of very nice Strawberries. The picking is getting a little harder as the decline has started. We will try to pick every last one but I don't see them lasting longer than the end of this month.
I think we will open the 'Texas' Maze this weekend. West Texas looks great, East Texas is a little on the short side (but it is growing and trying to catch up). I should try to put the towns in soon. Still don't know what towns we are going to use, I suppose it will just be a hodge podge this year.
Monday May 9, 2005 --- Yesterday at about 5:30pm I was talking to a lady and it started raining, in brilliant sunshine. She said "well, the sun is out and it is raining. That means it is going to rain again tomorrow." To which I replied "Oh lady, you don't know what you're talking about"............................. 8am this morning - I couldn't get the old tractor started, 10am - stopped to help with a school group of 110 kids, noon - back to work on the tractor, 2:30pm - yahoo, it started! time to go mow. Hey, where did the sunshine go? 3pm ----- It is raining again! For the next 30 mins I was trying to figure out a way to discount this theory. I finally settled on "well, it is not reeaaalllly raining, it is just kinda sprinkling" -------- then the bottom fell out of the sky and I got soaked putting the tractor back up.
One thing for sure. The Strawberries are nice and clean. We are now picking the last gasp of strawberry production. I do think that we are going to wind up the 2005 Strawberry season within the next two weeks. Surely there will be a few berries toward the end of the month but chances are they will be small and hard to find.
The Potato patch is a bit muddy right now, Thursday should be a good day to dig.......... had another pot full last night, they are still good eating! You might ask why do we eat so many potatoes. For one thing they are very good but perhaps the most important reason ---- they are so easy to cook. The easiest way is to throw them in a pot of water, boil till they are tender, put them on a plate, dress them up with every concoction known to man ---- instant meal.
Blackberries ---- a few black ones now. By the weekend we might have enough to pick (might). For sure by the following Thursday they will be going to town. A few customers have snuck back and ate a few.
The 'Texas' Maze is coming around. West Texas looks great, East Texas is trying, the Panhandle is very nice, South Texas is a bit sparse, Central Texas is where the action will be. With the way it is growing we might open it up to pedestrians in two or three weeks.
Monday May 2, 2005 --- Well its' about time!! 'Cream' the goat finally had kids. To the excitement of many customers, she had twins mid afternoon yesterday. A customer came up to tell us that we were having kids, he said "one is out and another about half way!". When I got down to the pen there was quite a crowd watching ---- so much for privacy huh? I did hear one lady whose daughter had watched both births say "this should make for some interesting questions on the way home". Another ladies teenage son was grossed out by the event to which she replied "one of these days you're going to get married ---- and you will be carrying a video camera in the delivery room!" Now just two more nannies to go.
A good friend gave dad some chickens - his beloved Rhode Island Reds. So here we went to build a chicken coup and pen. I am kinda proud that we made it from wood out of the scrap pile, tin off my mother-in-laws house (no I did not remove it in the middle of the night), a few cedar posts from the pasture and even the sliding glass door I took off the house last year. I believe it turned out pretty nice and it seemed like the little chickens were very happy with their new pen. Now ----- is it coon proof?
Hey! those Strawberry plants are still producing very nice fruit. The picking is still very good. I think this will be the big surge and supply will slowly start to diminish toward the middle and late May.
The Blackberry crop looks great ---- maybe by the 15th we will be picking some.
We will start digging potatoes on Thursday.
The Maze is coming along some spots much better than others. I am waiting for it to get tall before cutting the paths, mowing them when it is short is much to easy and goes against my "do things the hard way" philosophy.
Monday April 25, 2005 --- Really not much new going on. The Strawberries are still producing good, there is plenty for everyone. The Blackberries are on the way, perhaps some will be ripe in about two weeks. The Potatoes are almost ready to dig, I think we might start next week. The Tomatoes are planted and growing like mad, maybe we'll have a few by the end of May. The maze is looking a little week, especially East Texas. We have thrown a few more seeds out trying to get it to fill in -- we shall see if it works. I think it will be ready by the end of May. A little hot weather will turn it loose and it will take off. One of the 'fixed' cats had kittens (I wonder if I can get my money back on that surgery?) and I thought three of the goats would have kids two weeks ago. I have almost decided they won't have kids - they are just really fat! Surely in the next week or so one of them will give birth. Every day I think some kid is going to run up and say "sir, something is coming out of your goats butt".
Monday April 18, 2005 --- What wonderful weather we have had for the last three weeks. I almost feel guilty that it has been so nice. We have a little rain in the forecast but at least it is not on a weekend (for a change). Last weekend we picked the patch pretty close, a few slow days will really turn the berries on for this coming weekend. Today was very slow, I would expect tomorrow to be the same, we will be closed on Wednesday = great picking Thursday, Friday and the weekend. The Strawberries are still producing well, the size has diminished some but that is expected. It all depends on the weather but I think they will continue to produce through mid May.
Man o' man, the Blackberry crop looks like it will be a good one. Perhaps we will be picking them in about 3 weeks.
Taters ---- we are going to have a mess of them in about two weeks. Normally it takes about 3 to 4 weeks to dig them all. Therefore, we should be diggin' taters all the way through May.
East Texas is a little thin, we have planted a few more seeds there but we shall see if and when they come up. After a slow start it appears to be growing now. We should lay out towns and pathways before long. With any luck, 'Texas' the maze should be ready late May.
Tomatoes ---- planted and growing like weeds. Late May or early June should bring us fresh Tomatoes.
Monday April 11, 2005 --- Still windy but that is OK ---- won't be long before it is really hot and we will be wishing for a breeze. Seems we are barely dodging those hail storms. One was in the area last night --- luckily we had no hail, just 3/4 inch of rain, which helped settle the dust. It was a little wet this morning but by the afternoon it was easy walking in most places. We have a little drainage problem on the front end of the back strawberry block so you really need to walk around to the horse pen before entering the strawberry rows --- not to worry though, that is where the best berries are. Well, there might be an area where there is even better berries ---- there is a few spots in the field where we did not get the clover pulled out. No one seems to pick where the clover is trying to cover up the berries ------ sooooo, look for a spot in the row where the clover is growing, pull the clover back and boom, there are the berries no one has picked. While you are there you might as well pull that clover out and throw it in the middle (really, I am telling you the truth ---- not just trying to get you to weed my field ---------- honest .......).
Boy howdy, the Blackberries are blooming up a storm. They are looking good so far ---- keep your fingers crossed, we should be picking them in mid May.
The 'Texas' maze is sure taking its' time getting started. There are a few week spots that we might try to plant a few more seeds. This spring seems like it has been pretty cool, I think that perhaps the ground has not warmed up enough to really get the grass going well. It appears to have grown over the past few days so maybe it is about to take off. We are still shooting for late May.
Got your tater diggin boots ready? Won't be long now --- maybe just two or thee weeks and we will start digging potatoes.
Tuesday April 5, 2005 --- Seems that the wind has not let up since the last update ---- would it help if I said "OK, now the doctor says the wind needs to slow down"? I don't think that is going to do much good. One thing for sure, we don't have to worry about slippin' and sliding mud at the moment. The patch has finally dried out and we are harvesting a bunch of berries. The crowds have been good (thanks, if you have already come out) but we are barely keeping up with production. When those Strawberry plants decide to ripen fruit - they ripen a bunch at a time. Needless to say, we have lots of berries for everyone to pick. It looks like this will be the case for at least the next two weeks.
The Blackberry blooms narrowly escaped a frost last Friday night. We had a good many open blooms and we were afraid they might get hurt. Luckily (or should I say someone was watching out for us) the temps only got into the mid 30's and the blooms escaped injury. The 'Brazos'' variety is blooming up a storm with the other varieties close behind. So far the crop looks good. We expect to start picking Blackberries in mid May.
Monday March 28, 2005 --- The sun and wind is just what the doctor ordered to help dry out the patch. We still had plenty of folks get in the mud today but there was also alot that didn't (I think some went into the muddy areas on purpose). The berries being picked are unbelievable --- very, very nice. I believe we will have plenty of Strawberries for everyone from now till the last of April. I don't think you will have to worry about not having berries to pick.
I saw a few Blackberry blooms today --- by this weekend I bet the Brazos are blooming heavily --- should be pretty.
I also saw the Pecan trees starting to put out ----- could our cold weather be finished? Hope so.
Saturday night, March 26, 2005 --- We still have berries but you might have to swim to get them. Most pickers today just pulled off their shoes and went barefoot into the strawberry patch ----- nothin' like the feeling of mud squishing between your toes. I am afraid tomorrow is going to be the same way. Now you really can tell the grandkids "well, let me tell ya, I remember when I had to walk through mud up to my knees to get some food to put on the table. In fact, that mud was so deep that I started out fully clothed and by the time I was finished my shoes, socks and pants had done been sucked off by the mud --------- that was one cold trip".
The sun is supposed to come out tomorrow, along with a stiff breeze. The two might work together to dry things out enough for Monday (even then there will still be some puddles for little Johnny to find).
Friday night, March 25, 2005 --- The berries picked today were as nice as any I have seen. We did pick a lot today, but there is still plenty for tomorrows picking.
What sounded like a sizeable thunderstorm just rolled through. Even though hail was reported in this storm, I don't think we received any. The field is sure to be wet in places, perhaps old shoes would be in order if coming out tomorrow.
Wednesday, March 23, 2005 --- Whooaaa, where have I been? Obviously not in the front block of Strawberry plants. I was out in the field yesterday evening and surprisingly saw a bunch of berries ---- some really nice berries. We are going to have a lot more berries for the weekend than I previously thought we were. If coming, try to come early to make sure you get plenty. The animals are anxiously awaiting your arrival, as well as we --- hope to see you soon.
Tuesday March 22, 2005 ---- still waitin'. The 'Sweet Charlie' variety has been producing well but our main variety 'Chandler' is taking its' sweet time getting started. We are picking some berries now but have not yet reached the point where they are producing well. I think we are trying to hurry them along, when we look at the Date we realize it is still a little early yet. April is normally the month they turn loose, and it looks like it will be that way again this year.
One thing for sure, the berries are nice and clean. With a shower Saturday afternoon and another Monday morning we were on pens and needles with reports of hail in the area. Luckily neither farm experienced any more than a little pea size hail --- we do not expect any damage from this round of weather. It looks like the remainder of this week will be very nice moderate weather -- that should go a long way in helping the berries pick up the ripening pace a bit. I expect to have berries by Friday but am not sure how many we will have for the weekend. The Lexington farm is producing more berries at the moment. For ripe berries -- Lexington is the place to head.
The Blackberry canes are beginning to put out leaves. The 'Brazos' variety (the earliest producer) is beginning to show some tight flower buds. 'Kiowa' is not showing buds yet and 'Arapaho' is just starting to put out leaves. I would expect to start seeing open flowers by next week ----- hope the last freeze has passed!!!
Saturday morning, March 19, 2005 ---- If you are looking for ripe berries today, tomorrow or Monday -- go to the Lexington farm. The winters seem to be a couple of degrees warmer over there and we can sure see it in crop maturity. We have some very nice ripe Chandlers in Lexington and just a few here in Marble Falls. The weather looks like it is going to be nice for the next couple of days - Lexington is where I would head for ripe berries. Customers picked most of the ripe berries here in Marble Falls yesterday and not too many ripened overnight ---- we have a ton on the way they are just not quite ready. If you reside on the East side of I35 -- take a look at the directions link - Lexington might be a closer drive for you.
'Texas' and 'America' were planted last week --- we are trying a new variety of grass so we will see how it turns out. If all goes as planned (does that happen?), the Mazes' will be ready for pedestrians around mid to late May.
The Blackberries are putting out - no blooms yet but they are not far away ---- spring is springing!!!
Well, almost springing -- we had a nasty little freeze Wednesday night. Our potatoes were sprouting and those tops got nipped (don't worry, they come back). Luckily we had the majority of the Strawberries covered. Many of the uncovered blooms were killed but all the green fruit is OK (the green fruit will sustain colder temps than the tender bloom). I don't think our production will be hurt much because 90% of the plants were protected and are doing great! This was a very manageable freeze ----- hope that is the last one of the spring!!! I have not seen any Mesquite or Pecan trees budding out --- that is bad , those trees do not get fooled very often so there might still be some cold weather coming.
Sunday morning, March 13, 2005 --- Remember, our season is just now starting. Strawberry production starts slow and builds up to the peak in the first of April. Right now we are picking the 'Sweet Charlie' variety, of which we only have 15,000 plants. Yesterday customers picked most of the ripe berries on these plants so please don't expect to "load up" on berries if you are planning to come out today or tomorrow. The Strawberries are an amazing critter in that, when production is strong, alot will ripen overnight. But this early in the season it takes them a few days to ripen. One way to make sure you get the pick of the crop for that day is to come early. For instance, we had a lot of ripe berries yesterday all the way up to noon or so, after that they started getting scarce.
This of course, will all change when our main variety, 'Chandler', comes into production. A very few of these berries are ripe now with many more to come in about two weeks. I would expect that the latter part of this month and the first half of April will be wide open berry pickin.
The weather has been so nice the last few days that it is impossible to stay away from the farm, bring a picnic lunch, see the Goats, pet the Horses, follow the Cats and pick a few berries.
Tuesday, March 08, 2005 --- It appears that the chickens (strawberries) have hatched and we can start counting them now. I think we will be safe telling you that this coming Thursday (March 10) will be the start of the 2005 season here in Marble Falls (Lexington started last week). With this glorious sunshine and a breeze things should start drying out here and hopefully we will be getting back to normal. I was out in the Strawberry patch this morning and was pleasantly surprised by the amount of berries that are just about ready to pick. It seems they were just waiting for a little sunshine also. Sooooo, Come on out, we'll be waitin for ya!
Wednesday, March 02, 2005 --- Funny how things come full circle. I remember as a wee little lad singing "Row, Row, Row your boat gently down the stream" and now (a few years later) I caught myself singing "Row, Row, Row your boat gently down the strawberry row". It is a tad wet here, if this rain keeps up I am going to have to get me a pair of boots that do not have a hole in them! I am getting tired of wet feet (or should I say 'web' feet). Not to worry though, a few days of sunshine and things will be in good shape. It seems like over the past few weeks we have had a problem stringing together a "few days of sunshine". I guarantee there will be a time this year when we will be saying "whew, it is getting pretty dry here, I wonder if it is ever going to rain again?". You know, we had 7 consecutive weekends of rain in 2004, perhaps Mother Nature is getting it out of her system now that we have had 5 consecutive rainy weekends in 2005. I am sure that when we start picking berries it is going to clear up and be perfect weather.
Sorry, I am not going to tell you exactly when we are going to start picking ---- but it won't be long! The Lexington farm has some berries ready to pick now. It is wet over there especially after today's rain. Saturday should be a good day ----- IF it doesn't rain between now and then (that is a big if considering the cycle we are in).
Thursday, February 24, 2005 --- There is no holding things back now. Whether we are ready or not, Spring is about to Sprung. This time of the year is a critical time to solve some growing problems before they get out of hand, ie. weed control etc. We catch ourselves doing a chore and knowing something else also needs to be done but what is it? Don't worry we'll find out in about a month what that thing was that we should have done but couldn't remember.
I am sorry she is sick but I am home with the kid today and having some fun playing gamecube, updating the website and eating. Luckily for me it is overcast and rainy so my mind is not at the patch. We are hoping mother nature is getting these rainy spells out of her system. Another season like last years 7 consecutive weekends of rain would not be good for us. One thing for sure, God takes care of us in the low and high times so it is better not to worry about it right? Easier said then done - but we try.
Speaking of the patch - here come dem mouthwatering strawberries! The Lexington farm could open as early as this Saturday (depends on if it dries up enough to get into the field - check the Lexington Fresh News) and the Marble Falls farm could open a week or so later. During the season it seems like the berries go on a roller coaster of sweetness ride. One week they are really sweet and the next, maybe not as sweet. What makes them sweet? A myriad of things all of which we do not know. We have made one correlation though, it seems that a combination of cool nights and sunny days will make the sweetest berry. I say this because I ate some berries in Lexington earlier this week that were unbelievably sweet, perhaps the sweetest I have ever had.
The first part of the season is my personal favorite time to pick. The berries are not hugely abundant in supply so you will have to walk farther and look harder for a full basket BUT if you take your time and are selective with your pickings, you will end up with a box full of the largest, sweetest, prettiest berries you have ever had. I know that the large berries are normally no sweeter than the small ones but it is more fun to get the big ones. Here in Marble Falls we have a fellow that comes out just about every week. It takes him about a hour to pick a 7# box of berries but his berries are picture perfect. He must walk at least a mile of row (if you strung all the strawberry rows end to end it would stretch 5.5 miles) It is really hard not to pick every red berry but he has mastered the technique of being patient and only picking those berries meeting his criteria.
The Blackberry canes are not to be left behind. The buds are starting to break and you can see a little bit of green coming out. We don't want them to come out too fast or we might have a late freeze. I will say this though, out of 15 years of growing Blackberries I have only seen one year where the crop was completely lost and two years of a reduced crop. They normally don't get fooled and with the average last freeze taking place here on March 3rd maybe they are trying to tell us something? I know the Pecan trees are not coming out yet, I wonder if the Mesquite trees are showing any signs?
Saturday February 12, 2005 --- Guess what? It is still kinda wet, actually kinda is putting it mildly. We have been slopping around in the mud the last week or two trying to get things done. Some of the Potatoes have been planted but it won't dry out enough for me to finish building the rest of the beds. I don't know what my problem is but I am having trouble completing any objective. I think that my next short term goal is to finish something that I start.
Spring Break and Easter are both early this year so we have had the frost covers out over the Strawberry plants in an attempt to hurry them along. On a sunny day the temps can be 10 - 20 degrees warmer underneath the covers. This is a real tricky practice and we are just taking a gamble that the February and March temps are not too low. So far it seems to be working, the 'Sweet Charlie' plants are covered in blooms and we hope to start picking ripe berries the first of March. We like to take the covers off every now and then to let the plants air out and get a little sun. Unfortunately the covers have not been able to dry out enough for us to roll up (a 50' * 300' cover is very heavy when damp). Hopefully we will get the covers off before long and see what is happening underneath.
It won't be long before Spring breaks open and things start growing ---- Stop! I don't think I a ready!
Monday January 31, 2005 ---- Wow, it went from being kinda dry to very wet in just a few days. I am surprised at how wet it is, I expected the ground to soak up the moisture pretty fast but that is just not happening. It is a good time to catch up on office work.
The 'Sweet Charlie' strawberry plants have an average of two to three new blooms on them. We will try to protect these blooms by covering them with blankets whenever the temps are forecast to go below freezing. If we are successful in protecting these blooms - we could have berries in a month. We'll see about that, it sure would not hurt my feelings to open up the first of March.
Monday evening January 24, 2005 ---- What a nice day --- or it was a nice day and things were going good but then I had to ruin it. I was making potato beds, and they were looking good. I had ten more to go and wanted to finish before dark ------------- I have no idea where the little goat came from ------- all I know is I looked back behind the tractor to see if the plastic was covering the raised bed OK and there was a goat head sticking out of the plastic. I got the goat out of the bed but it was too late, the damage had been done. Poor little Apple Cider was just about gone (I think it is a bad omen to name a farm animal). I had to go bury her so now I am bummed.
I think the best thing to do would be to record an obituary : Apple Cider, Goat - October, 2004 to January 2005, don't know if she has any survivors because she was a bottle fed orphan, favorite word - Naaaaa, favorite food - sweet feed, favorite thing - the red collar granny just bought her...... We'll miss your little tail a wag 'in
The Strawberry plants are covered up right now so I can't tell you how they are doing. My guess is they are doing just fine under there. We are trying to heat them up a little, prevent the blossoms from freezing, and hoping they will have some red berries in a month or so. The season is right around the corner.
Well, I'm done for the day --- think I will go home and go to bed.
Wednesday January 05, 2005 ---- How bout that, I wrote the date correctly the first time. We are back now from the Holidays and ready to get back to work. The farm is looking pretty good right now (for this time of the year). Much more of this mild weather and the Strawberries are going to start blooming again. Only one year can I remember opening up for picking before March, if we get another week or two of mild weather ---- maybe this could be the second year. The last two weeks of January and the month of February is a critical time in the life of our Strawberry plants. During this time we do not need any temps lower than 24 degrees. Uppers 30's or warmer at night and 60' or 70's during the day would be just right. Before long we will start covering the plants anytime a freeze is forecast. 4 or 5 cover applications are normal, any more than that becomes a nuisance. These mild temps can fake the plants into blooming only to be zapped by a blue northern a week later.
It has been kinda misting all day and now that a front has blown in we have retreated to the office. So many new ideas have been flying around that my brain is starting to hurt, so like many warm blooded Americans, I think I will just go feed the animals and go home ----- I will get on those new ideas first thing in the morning.
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