Spring is here

Spring is here and it came quickly. The freakish 90 degree days of this past week have seemed to set the natural world in fast motion. I looked out the window yesterday to see lilacs blooming! Lilacs, asparagus, fruit trees, tulips, daffodils, it all seems like it is in fast forward. Which means that I feel like planting should be in fast forward too. Watching everything burst forth in this weather and my struggle to keep up in the garden is a perfect reflection of the struggles and joys of farming. In farming, the farmer strives to simulate nature; choosing the proper planting times for different crops that will make them flourish in the given conditions of the particular season. If a garden is left in the spring untended, you can walk through and still see signs of crops (and their weed relatives) in survival mode. Lettuce seeds sprouting, potato shoots coming up, old chard and beet leaves poking through, kale starting to produce again, tomato seeds germinating and eventually producing more fruit. They start to grow when the conditions are right. The farmer has to pay attention in order to get it right, and then give his or her time and energy to make the garden productive. This attentive care, knowledge, and ability to make crops flourish is what I love about farming. The challenge to get all the work done can be stressful and difficult, but I have also always enjoyed hard work and challenging situations, so I guess this profession suits me!