Sprout Farm Newsletter May 9, 2026 sproutfarm.net ope 9-5 daily

Hello Everyone,

Happy Mothers Day to all mothers on this happy day. The more I learn about other cultures, the more grateful I am that mothers are so highly valued in America. Our 30% off sale on hanging baskets continues just for today, Sunday, Mothers Day.

The special this week: Tomato Plants $2.50 each and Coast of Maine Raised Bed Soil- 2 cu ft bag - $16.00/ea. That sounds like perfect pairing to me. All Coast of Maine bagged products are in the soil shed so they are always warm and dry and not waterlogged from being left outdoors all winter.

Ken has been quietly working in the garden for weeks and when I finally had a chance to catch up with him he told me about all the things that are coming up. He's planted all the cool weather crops we always grow and he says they're doing well. He says he's planted squash. I was surprised to hear that because we usually wait until the weather and the soil is well warmed up. The soil warming up sooner may be due to the new roto tiller for the tractor. The old one still operated fine but over the years the tines had worn down to the point that they had lost their curve and were nothing but straight sticks that didn't really turn the soil. They looked into buying new tines and found the price difference didn't justify all the work. Ken runs the tractor, plants the seeds, plants the transplants and he really likes the new tiller.

Jay has looked at the results of growing tomatoes in a greenhouse, even an unheated greenhouse verse growing them in a field. Jay figures we get at least double the yield from the same number of tomatoes grown under cover because they are healthier and less stressed from disease, insects and wild weather. The guys put up the last greenhouse frame last fall but they didn't cover it. The plan is to put the plastic on it this week and fill it up with tomatoes. I won't miss fighting the weeds, bugs and disease outdoors. I reminded Jay that Swiss Chard grows exceptionally large in greenhouses and for the same reasons that tomatoes do well. Let's see if he can adjust his floor plan.  Jay will be watching the weather for the perfectly calm morning to put up the plastic.  A single sheep of plastic 100 feet long can act like a crazy sail if a gust of wind catches it at just the right angle.  Then it's just putting the wiggle wire into the tracks to hold the plastic tight for the next three or four years.  You don't see that system at Home Depot and it is so simple.  

Some of the earliest transplants are catching the attention of the local flock of turkeys. That will require some covering so we'll have to put that together. I remember the days when the site of a wild turkey was something so rare you would take a picture of it. Now the darlings roam everywhere and when their chicks hatch out, the flock increases by twenty new members. They are all hungry and the deer fence does nothing to protect our crops from turkeys.

The kitten report: and then there were two. Boots and dark stripe have gone to new homes. We hope to see pictures of them as they grow up. We still have Leggings and Little Tiger and they will go together to their new home when Leggings starts to eat solid food. I catch him eating kitten chow but he has no interest at all in canned cat food. He is still interested in Mom but Mom is giving him some serious push back when he wants to nurse. Little Stripe is getting better at climbing drapes and Leggings likes to show him/her the way. I just can't remember which stripe is a female. The Tuxedos were both male. They are a little shy around children but cats trust the quietest people first. That is self explanatory.

That's all the news for now and we hope to see you soon. This is the bussiest three weeks of the season so please be patient.

Jay and Phyllis Sprout