It has been one of those weeks, the best kind, where you start to receive your seed catalog orders and are anxiously awaiting others.  I have our first 42 seedlings going.  We're trying 4 different tomato varieties this year (Brandywine, Amish paste, Beefsteak and Dark Cherry). 

We got our first tree order sent off and have 19 trees coming for our orchard (3 pecan, 4 peach, 4 cherry, 8 apple).  We plan to add to it each year.  Strawberry plants, blueberries, boysenberries, blackberries, raspberries are also coming in mid-March. 

We are planning for a 100 xy 100 ft. garden - way bigger than we've ever done.  It has been very wet the past few weeks and I'm thankful for the moisture as our lake is staying very full, but now we are anxious to get our soil turned over to see what this farm land we purchased looks like.  The previous owners never had an orchard or a large garden. 

We will have our hands full this year.  But in between all the fixing up of the house (and we're still not moved in yet), we got to immerse ourselves in planning for the farm which is so much fun.

Our son (who is a partner with us in this farm) ordered a new tractor this week and we are waiting for it to arrive - a Mahindra 5035 HST with a tiller attachment and a post hole digger/auger attachment.  It comes with a front end loader.  This will compliment our 1971 Ford 3100 that has a brush hog, fertilizer spreader (not sure we will use it for that as we want to be organic), blade, plow, disc that we negotiated in with the purchase of the farm back in November. 

Over the past 2 weeks we've used the recently purchased chain saws a bit as well, clearning more pasture area and storing up cedar posts and parts to mulch.

I know all of you are as anxious as we are for spring to arrive.  So much to do and not enough time to do it - I'm sure that is the farmer's conumdrum!

Not sure if I told you we named our farm - Oak Grove Valley Farm - we are in the middle of a valley and surrounded by an oak grove, so it seemed appropriate. 

Another cool purchase this week - 2 wagon wheels - I plan to use them in my landscaping somehow :)