It’s been a while since we’ve caught up with Loo Loo Farms. I always enjoy hearing what’s happening on their farm at different times of the year. As usual, it seems they are as busy as ever. Check below for the updates from Zina and Seth.
February On The Farm:
February on the farm is an exciting time. The almond trees are the first to show their beautiful spring flowers. The plums, pears and apples are short behind. The plants that have overwintered need attention and areas need to be cleaned and replenished. We take this time to till the grounds, spread compost and shape beds. Keep an eye out for volunteer plants and beneficial natives. These can be easily transplanted or moved.
Indoors we are starting our seeds and getting ready for an early planting. It is important to have a warm, well lit area for sprouting. We convert our garage into an starting area and harden off in the greenhouse. For those that don’t want to deal with sprouting from seed or miss the window of opportunity Loo Loo Farms will have its nursery operation open later this spring. Keep an eye on facebook for notifications.
The bees overwintered well. We had enough edible flowers and vegetation that sustained the hive with minimal extra feeding. They have a very healthy brooding pattern. We just added a super (extra layer) so they can expand the hive with ease. They are loving all the blossoms in the orchard. The trees are literally buzzing with activity.
Spring is also the time to focus on gopher and rodent control. They tend to be young and dumb this time of year and get progressively harder to catch as the season progresses. Disturb or cover areas with multiple holes and wait for a new one to appear. This will insure you have an active hole. I prefer the black box from Victor but other gopher traps are available. I do not recommend using poison and it can result in a secondary poisoning in a pet or predatory animal if ingested. I would hate for our little Jack Russell Terrier or one the Red Tail Hawks that nests in out eucalyptus trees to fall victim to a bad gopher.
Another major focus now is pruning. The early warm up will definitely push the deciduous trees and grapes to break bud. It is important to have all of the pruning done before.then. We prune our fig trees and clone the cuttings, thus having fig trees available through or nursery operation. Other trees are pruned to maintain height and a good fruiting zone. Properly pruning trees and grapevines ensures healthy growth and makes picking easier. Each tree/vine prefers to be handle a little differently so do your research before hacking away.
Look for tips and tricks from Loo Loo Farms as the seasons progress.
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