I use WeatherTrends 360 to forecast the weather. If the Fortune 500 think it’s accurate enough, then I do, too. WeatherTrends 360 says we won’t have a night in the low 30s until November. Let’s hope so, for the sake of those delicious heirloom tomatoes!

Striped Cavern Tomato

1-Ball Summer Squash

Potatoes grown from a volunteer sprout

Snoozing Dogs Farm will not offer shares for 2012. We are still planning to grow our same quantity of vegetables that we did last year, and we’ll offer them for sale when we have a sufficient quantity to bring to market. We will post on our website on Wednesday each week what items are available for pickup on Sunday afternoon. We will not have a pickup every week, nor will we be offering any guarantees of quantity or variety.

Our weekly “market” will be online and available starting on Wednesday evening. We’ll send out an email when the list is posted. It will be webstore-style, so you can reserve your order and it will be waiting for you on Sunday. We will collect your payment at pickup, and expect that if you are unable to pickup that you will notify us so we can offer those items to others. Pickup will be on Sunday afternoon from 1-3PM at the farm.

We are looking forward to this new format and hope that you will also enjoy the freedom you get from not having to pay up front for your produce or being locked into a standard share. We are excited to have the ability to grow more of what you enjoy, and not be constantly struggling to make a share when the weather isn’t cooperating. A benefit to the farm is that we can spend an occasional weekend with our family and not have a scheduled pickup to run. A great benefit to you is that you select only those items you like and in the quantities you prefer.

To be signed up for our program, all you need to do is register for our email list. You’ll automatically be notified when we have a pickup available. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link at the bottom of the email. We look forward to seeing you this summer!

Flower seeds can be particular in their sprouting habits, epecially for the tiniest of seeds. One way to get the most out of your flower seed plantings is to pre-sprout your seeds. Using this method, you plant only those seeds that germinate – saving the pots and soil needed to grow the flowers. It’s also a good method to grow from seeds that are older. To pre-sprout, place a few seeds on a moist paper towel or coffee filter. Coffee filters tend to be more fabric-like and that keeps the roots from embedding in the fibers.

Fold the towel or filter over the seeds, and then fold in half again. Place the towel or filter in a zippered bag and keep in a warm place (about 70 deg F). Check the bags every day or two and spritz a little water in the bag if the towel or filter is dry. When you start to see roots emerging from the seeds, take them out and plant them in your potting soil. Be careful when transplanting so that you don’t damage the seedlings. If you find the seedlings are stuck to the paper, just cut out the piece where the seedling is stuck and plant it all. The paper will decompose in the soil. Leaves should emerge soon, and then you can transfer to your lighted grow area.

As with any seed germination, keep the soil watered (preferably from the bottom) and the plants well illuminated. Your lights should be kept at 2″ above the tops of the plants to keep the plants from getting spindly and weak. As soon as the weather warms, start hardening off your plants by placing them in a protected area for an increasing time period each day. Gradually increase the sun exposure to the levels your flowers will see in their final location. Once your plants can tolerate the environment where they will grow, then feel confident in placing them outside around the clock. But, it IS Colorado, so be on the lookout for a late frost or snow and take steps to protect them!

Vegetable planting starts in early March. While you enjoy the flower seedlings, get your supplies ready to plant your tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers!

As published at Examiner.com

We are planning our visit to the Highlands Ranch Spring Bazaar on April 24.  We’ll be bringing our seed collections – you know, the ones that come with tech support!  We’re also bringing some seedlings that you don’t have to work quite so hard to grow.  Tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and peppers and perhaps some flowers will be available for purchase at our booth.  These are the same seeds and plants we grow on our farm, so we know they are successful in this climate.  Plus, you get to talk to a farmer for tech support throughout the season!

Enjoy this warm weather and keep it in your heart as we get so much closer to May 15 and no more frost!

We’re growing lots of beans for Snoozing Dogs Farm next year. We’ll have Tongue of Fire beans coming in late in the season and tasty Kentucky Blue pole beans throughout the summer. We hope you’ll join us for our 2012 season! Please sign up for our mailing list if you would like to be notified of our 2012 season details.

We’ve also been taking a very hard look at our farm size and our options for expanding our plantings and increasing the number of shares. 2012 will bring a lot of changes to our family, and also to our family farm. Because of these changes, we decided that this year is not the best time to expand our farm and grow on more space. What that means for our shares is still undetermined. We’re replanning our space and our expected harvests and hope to be able to announce our farm plans soon.

Please stay in touch! Follow us on facebook and twitter for the fastest notification of our farm shares.

We want to thank our members this year and look forward to serving you next year. We hope to see you all in the spring with our 2012 shares.

This week’s harvest was great! I hope everyone enjoys the pumpkins, tomatoes, peppers and carrots. No pickup next week, but watch for us again on Oct 21 with some potatoes and tomatoes! Can you believe that we’re still harvesting at the end of October? It’s been so great to have the farm this year and enjoy sharing our bounty with our CSA members. I look forward to next year – we’re expanding and look forward to meeting new friends to share our ideals of fresh, safe produce that families enjoy!