Progress at Belle Terre Farm

Slowly but surely, this is our motto out at Belle Terre Farm. When working on a multi year project such as this you sometimes go a while without seeing any noticeable results. While this teaches patience, it is very fulfilling to occasionally see the fruits of your labor. My recent visit to Belle Terre Farm was just such an experience. As you may recall from earlier post the plan is to put in some garden rows and grow beans that will help to fix nitrogen in the soil so we can get on a regular crop rotation either, this fall or next spring. We got the first two rows of Black Valentine Black Beans planted a couple of weeks ago and were pleasantly surprised to see the progress they have made.

Here you can see Cassie, the ever faithful watch dog, keeping a close eye on the newly sprouted beans.  We got two more rows put in this week which leaves only three to go. We are getting about a hundred plants per row so needless to say, we will be eating a lot of black bean soup this winter =). Here is a pic of the four rows.

Earlier in the year we also planted a few blueberry bushes on the land. While we were told to remove the flowers so the plants could focus on root growth we just couldn't resist leaving a few blooms on so we could enjoy our very own blueberries.

Our biggest concern for the blueberries at the moment is getting them some protection from the surrounding grasses. Blueberries don't like competition and will struggle if we aren't able to get them some breathing room. In the next couple of weeks we will get some weed cloth and mulch put down so they can have all of the moisture and nutrients for themselves.

The other big change at Belle Terre farm is the arrival of some permanent guests. We have put two bee hives near the creek, facing our crops and the morning sun.

The creek is just behind the hives and down the slope that is hidden by the unrelenting growth of plant life. The bees oriented themselves quickly to their new environs.

At the end of every work trip to the farm Wayne likes to spend a few minutes just walking around, getting acquainted with the land. A big part of this experience is thinking about how the farm will grow and develop in the coming years. Such walks often result in additional projects (exactly what we need with our current schedules). Since we won't be able to build our home on the farm this year, Wayne is going to build a small shelter / studio this Fall. The idea is still taking shape but it will be something of a retreat on the lower part of the land that will be very organic and natural that will provide a place of rest and inspiration. Here is a picture of the location for the retreat.

The lighting is incredible as the few tall trees keep the area in relative shad during the hot part of the day. Some of the small saplings will probably come out and we will compliment the existing ferns with a collection of Hosta. We are looking forward to a nice week or two this Fall spent putting this all together.

That's all for now. Will have further updates on Belle Terre Farm as time allows.

Be Well,

Wayne