It’s officially spring! The sun is shining more often, the temperatures are rising, and colour is slowly starting to return to the landscape. And with these changes in weather come changes in our routine. The winter months are mostly spent indoors, thanks to the cold, wind, and snow, but we’ve been able to spend more and more time outdoors in the past week or so.

First on our spring-cleaning list is the greenhouse, where our famous melons start their lives each season. Melon seeds (both muskmelon and watermelon) are planted into trays and grown inside the greenhouse for about 5 weeks. Once the plants are approximately 6 inches tall, strong enough to successfully survive outside, and once the risk of frost has passed us by (we hope!) they are transplanted into the fields. But before this greenhouse growing can take place, there’s a lot of work that must be done!

To start, the greenhouse glass is carefully examined for any cracks or damage from the snow-filled winter months. Sometimes the weight of snow sitting on the glass can cause damage, and we need to ensure we address this before moving forward. If any damage is discovered, the glass is cleaned up and new panes are inserted.

Next, the greenhouse is carefully arranged into rows of racks. These racks are supported by cinder blocks, and are the perfect size to hold the trays that the melon seeds will be planted into. Before planting, the both the racks and the trays must be thoroughly washed and rinsed, to remove debris from last season. This rinsing and debris removal prevents the risk of contamination from disease from last year’s plants.

So there you have it! A peek into the beginning stages of prepping for the 2019 season. Are there any other areas of the farm that you’re curious about? Ask away! We’ll do our best to answer and provide some fun photos as well.

Blog Post Written & Photographed by Alex Chesney, RD