We just got confirmation that we were approved for a grant that we applied for a few weeks ago. It's a micro-business development grant from CVOEO (the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity), which we'll use to get a bed shaper and some other important equipment for our walk-behind tractor, as well as part of our set-up for the Farmer's Market.

The grant money came from ARRA (a.k.a. The Stimulus), and it's really going to be a big help. We're really pleased and grateful to be receiving this grant - plus, we got to use the business plan we spent so much time on this winter! The satisfaction of doing that might be almost as great as the money.

In other news, the carrots are more than an inch tall, spinach looks like spinach, radishes are sprouting, and the peas are taking off!

Well growing time is here again!  It feels great to get out from behind the desk of winter paperwork and get our hands in the dirt again.  This week we seeded some field crops (onions, leeks, and celery) and our greenhouse nightshade family plants (tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers).  These were seeded into soil blocks and will be transplanted into their respective homes in about 10-12 weeks.  We also got to spend some time in the soil transplanting the spinach we started back in February.  There are some pictures of all this on the photos page under " The Season Begins!".