I am sitting here soaking in the gorgeous view of all the newly fallen snow out my windows but yet happily planting trays, thinking of the upcoming Spring season.  Starting your plants indoors is as simple as picking up some growing trays at your local hardware store or hydroponics shop, some great soil, and setting up a warm spot with enough light to get your plants a great start.  Shelving and hanging shop lights will do the job until you can place your plants out in natural light.   Warmth and moisture are the two most important issues when starting those tiny seeds and enabling them to germinate and grow into the plants you need for your Spring and Summer gardens.  “Anyone who thinks that gardening begins in the Spring and ends in the Fall is missing the best part of the whole year, for gardening begins in January with the dream.”  Josephine Neuse, U.S. Gardening Writer.  

Here at Moonstruck Farms, we are thrilled with all the snow that will soak the land for weeks to come making the numerous projects that need to be completed half the workload!  Once the snow melts, the first project we will complete will be mulching the ranunculus, anemones and tulips, and other perennial crops.   The land has been so dry due to the lack of precipitation that I did not want to mulch until I knew the ground was completely soaked.  We have hay bales set aside for the flowers, and my husband cleaned out the cow corrals a short time ago to place around the trees providing not only the insulation from the mulch but also nutrition as the old manure and grass break down.  The mulch will help us maintain the moisture and gain heat as the season continues.  In addition to seed planting during these bitterly cold days, we are catching up on projects that have been sitting on our desk for quite some time, including designing seed packets for the seeds that we have saved to share with you at the market and online.  We are excited at the prospect of all the new nursery products, seeds, and flowers that we will be bringing to the local markets, and we even have a few new farm-fresh jam recipes up our sleeves to share.   

Stay tuned for your local farmers market updates on Facebook and Instagram.  Both the Wrightwood and Phelan Certified Farmers Markets have electronic newsletters that will be delivered directly to your inboxes for information on what is new at the market, winter weather closures, and more.   Wrightwood has a “Sign Up” button on their Facebook page and for Phelan CFM, simply click on “more” and click on Email Sign Up.   Remember to visit your local farmers markets even on the cold, dreary days that we are open.  The farms are producing a lovely array of crisp, delicious Winter vegetables for you to enjoy.  This is the peak season for citrus, spinach, lettuce, and other beautiful greens providing the sweetest greens and citrus of the year.