Spring is here and we are out and about busy as bees. Along with continuing my natural bee keeping apprenticeship, we have had baby excitement and awesome surf these past few weeks. The gardens are the most at ease and balanced as they have ever felt. The yard is slowly turning into a self sustaining arboretum and food forest, however small in scale. The fungus is constantly showing itself and changing forms, as are the weeds in the yard. The different forms of vegetative growth have changed so much since we first started appreciating the soil we inhabit. Compost tea, azomite, chicken coop rotation, biodynamic stirring, even just letting things grow a week or two longer than the typical yard height... all contribute to growing the soil and restoring fertility to that awesome stuff we call Dirt!!! Last year I had difficulty cutting swathes of the yard as dandelions were blooming in massive quantity and bees, wasps, and other pollinators were constantly sharing the love. Just by letting those sections of lawn stay for a couple more weeks, allowing the dandelions to finish their life cycle, we now have a whole new variety of plant/weed growing in the yard encouraging fertility. The gradual process of growing soil, encouraging larger, more significant vegetative growth over time from lawn/yard/weeds to healthy soil, shrubs, and even trees. Enough babbling, lots of pictures to update readers, thank you Russian and American folks tuning in..

April 8th view of the aquaponics table. Pac choy, shelling peas, dino kale, spinach, buckwheat, and red russian kale can be seen in the closest tub.

Happy arugula transplant. The chickens will love the greens in the coming weeks, coming and grow back!

One of the bush beans that popped up in the pawpaw mound.

Three of the chickens up and about making noise for garden greens, Snowflake is sitting down in the background.

Bush beans with volunteer cilantro coming up. Can you spot the three volunteers? Hint, it helps to look for the plant's true leaves, the ones you would buy/consume.

Bush beans coming up in the raised beds. Another sowing coming up in late April before the full moon.

The kales that survived the winter are starting to flower and the cilantro are bolting soon to flower too. The seedballs are sprouting, and the growth of 'weeds' are fading, leaving seed for the winter cover crop naturally. This plot in particular has recently had some transplants put into it, seed direct sowed, and neighboring chickens having a feast. All beneficial things, as are all the plants pictured above. With the proper perspective one can see Nature does best, however she spirals. The grass next to the chicken coop in the background is so green because we started using Thorvin Kelp and Azomite in the feed when they moved to that spot.. the shade of green growth is incredible and I hope it keeps up as the coop traverses the yard.

The grape vine showing new growth for the year.

Garden helpers.. or hindrance.. haven't decided yet.

To my eye, this is a beautiful sight. The depleted soil is being naturally recharged by the rye, vetch, and clover thriving in the middle of the beds. The peas along the fence are doing their part as legumes. We may be pushing it with the lettuce scattered across the bed thinly, but I do encourage the cover crops more.

From one perspective these little critters are the bane of southern US inhabitants. An invasive species, that just keeps on persevering, typically even when toxic chemicals are ignorantly introduced. I have a relationship with the Red Ant, just as I have a relationship with all the animals and plants on the land here. They quickly showed me their intentions, methods of defense, and impressive stubbornness. Our first encounter left me incapacitated for a week from three bites. Four years and some change later, I respect the Red Ant. They do more than most humans will ever accomplish in this lifetime, in terms of appreciation for the planet and soil that gives us all life. See, the Red Ant aerates the soil and amends it structure with extensive amounts of teamwork and cooperation.  We rarely appreciate the work of the honey bee as it works in such a similar cohesive harmony, to pollinate and provide reproduction for plants.  Only when we need the honey for our own desires do we appreciate the bee, but for the wrong reasons.  How could we stop to recognize the significance of an ant, yet alone a red ant? They change sandy lots into thriving gardens. Bringing soil from below to mix with the current topsoil. Taking organic matter below the surface. Tunneling all the way, allowing air and water to seep in when the time is right. If left on to their own, I notice red ants move over time, when their role is fulfilled. Yes, I do still get stung due to not drowning my yard in poisonous chemicals. However, as a barefoot farmer it is inevitable. Usually there is some karmic deed which drove the barefoot bites though.. from moving soil they were working on, to stepping on a nest or spot they were aerating in the yard.. we as humans with a seemingly higher consciousness and awareness need to be aware our actions impact life too. Stepping on their home slows their healing process for the planet with call Earth and her soil... the bite that follows is a reminder to let them be, live harmoniously with all life here.. Besides what good have you done for the world, the Earth, the soil? That Red Ant nest houses thousands of souls working to heal the soil daily, not just once a month or year.

The seedballs are sprouting!

Another few plants springing forth!

April 8th view of the three sisters mound we will be growing this year. We have opted for Black Iroquois Sweet Corn as the tallest sister. I even put a few mammoth sunflowers in to demonstrate the substitute sister, if corn were too demanding on the soil. In due time, the beans will be planted, stay tuned.

I have started yellow crookneck squash early this year and the transplants are taking well. The squash will be another sister in the mound, as she crawls across the ground providing shade from intense sun and preserving moisture for the roots of the corn and beans.

April 8th view of the strawberries. This will be their third year and have been biodynamically grown all three of them.

Tomato plants for the year. I have not quite figured them out yet, but practice will pay off. We are growing Great White, German Johnson, Matt's Wild Cherry, Pink Beauty, and Indigo Rose tomato varieties.

April 13th! Happy Birthday to my sister Jill who is living life to the fullest in Espana (Spain)!

April 13th, a day after the Azalea Festival here in Wilmington, NC. This year the azaleas timed themselves perfectly in sync with the festival as they were blooming proudly all weekend long!

April 13th view of the bush beans in the raised beds. A few cover crops such as clover and vetch are fighting for light and are blooming shortly. The beans will be assisted in successfully staying as the top sun receiving plants.

Wild blackberries I let live over the past 9 months. If you see these blooms around this area right now, remember where they are.. blackberries will be all over in the coming months! A cool thing to notice is the growth style of the wild blackberry in native soil. Low growing unless propped up or vines are encouraged upward.

April 13th view of the wild blackberries I dug up and planted in a planter with good soil. I have literally done nothing to them since last summer. Look at the healthy growth surging forth! Same plants as those just viewed, but different soil. Imagine the surplus of wild berries if we only grew the soil we lay eyes on. If we saw soil that needed love and attention, gave it, and let Nature express her gratitude.

The first bloom about to burst open from our blackberry planter.

Blueberries starting to form up!

April 13th wider view of the bush bean raised bed. Planted dense with the intention of filling our bellies, freezer, and neighbor's plates, as well as restoring nitrogen back to the raised beds for the fall or future use.

Carolina Jasmine blooming and sharing her fragrant terpenes.

This mound is back by the compost and has been old leaves as well as old potting soil breaking down together. We planted three Casperita pumpkin transplants pictured here.

Regina, foreground, scavenging while lavender grabs a snack off the ramp.

Lavender, Regina, and Snowflake being the beautiful chickens they are. What wonderful hens!

Fiona being herself.

April 13th update of the Fuji apple tree, coming back to life after two years of deer devouring. Buckwheat and bush beans have been sown under all the orchard trees to help encourage pollinators and nitrogen.

At the time this was taken on April 13th I was completely baffled as to what had happened to the gardens. Under the grapevine and parts of the plot nearest to it soil and straw had been ravaged and strewn about as if an animals had slept, fed, fought, and played in the two plots. I am not using fences this year and knew this to be a possibility, but why now after months of no trouble? Well, spirals be sprialin and Nature is a teaching. A neighbor's free ranging chickens escaped their fenced in yard some time in the morning after I put sonic bloom out before dawn. I thought deer, maybe wild dog, but couldnt fathom at the time a chicken doing that much damage in a few hours. Well, went in for breakfast and came back out to check for eggs from our chickens... and I found a black chicken running around the pawpaw mound! She had scratched up the entire 30ft length in less than an hour! I had fun directing the lost hen back to her fence line, where she took a few minutes but eventually went right back in the hole she snuck out of. Two more days this happened, and each time the escapee went for the garden plots. Lessons to be learned: Chickens are just as free spirited as the a teenager. Free range chickens do just that, free range no matter what we intend. Chickens like fungus, and/or the bugs around them. I say that because the three plots the chickens ended up getting into had this funky fungus (pictured) growing up from under the straw mulch. The other two plots dont have this fungus growing as much. Granted they still scratched some of the back plot, I would say only enough to find out it had no fungus growing at the ground level (cardboard was placed just above it in the other three plots and hadnt decomposed as well). I laugh at the events now, but was truly more perplexed then frustrated. Beautiful chickens making a run for the gardens they see to be thriving and maybe needing a little pest maintenance.  At least it wasnt a wild dog. Now I know to dedicate thought and energy to fencing our future homestead garden from the free ranging flock we aspire to have in our food forest future.

Dino/Lacinato Kale flowering. Seed has been hard to come by for some seed suppliers in 2014, learn to save seed folks.. or eat.. cheerios until gmo corn fails?

Marigolds being all pretty and frilly. They are great for beneficial bugs and add color to any green landscape!

This funky plant has been showing up in the past few weeks. Fascinating how the plants change after one fulfills is role in restructuring the soil.

April 13th we decided to add two more koi to the aquaponics table. We only had one koi, Maya the BIG gold koi seen to the left. With the spring and summer coming, we hope the other two koi will help produce more ammonia, for nitrite, then nitrate for the increasing quantity of plants to feed from. Winter killed all the plants, so I was a bit paniced to get kales or some cold hardy plant in t absorb nitrates from the water. Now with better weather and more plants we can get our chickens some cherry tomatoes growing!

April 13th view of the pie pumpkins we planted on the biggest and oldest compost heap. Hoping for the best!

Do you see him?

Maybe now you see the green anole sunbathing before the walked to close and startled him.

April 13th update of the strawberry patch. Sooo many blooms this year it is mind boggling. Third year seems to be the best so far! Hope to get a couple of these berries to neighbors and friends to share the taste of biodynamic strawberries.. once you realize the depth of flavor possible with good stewardship, how can one go back?!

Sweet Betsy blooms. One of the most intoxicating smells my soul can remember.

Three tea plants acquired late last fall, looking wonderful and happy after the rains.

Valerian about to bloom. A plant used in biodynamic preparations. We hope to make our own preparations when on our future land, and this plant will be the Mother Valerian.

The Wisteria is blooming in full force all over the city right now. You have to look up usually, she is a vine and tends to go vertical when allowed.

April 13th view of the yard, which once consisted of the grape vine and poles we now use for close lines. Now look at it, chicken coop moving around making healthy soil. Grape vine is recognizable again. Three garden plots roughly 700 sq ft in total, with soil much better than the sand in the foreground. An aquaponics table housing koi and producing whatever food it can.