Winter 2026 #8/10: Breaking Ground & Bringing in More Bok Choy

Mar 2

A farm is a multifarious and everchanging thing, but the growing year has its touchstones. Though it isn’t as sensuous as sneaking the first ripe cherry tomato or as dramatic as the first hard frost, the first day that Mark warms up the tractor and breaks ground out in the field is a big deal. Some years this moment is fraught or critical, as we wait impatiently for the soil to be warm and dry enough to work with. But this year, we may as well have smashed a bottle of bubbly on the front forks of the John Deere to commemorate our voyage into the next phase of 2026. On a bright Sunday afternoon (on the first of March, no less), Mark got his first few passes in. It was just a little patch, but the aroma of the freshly turned soil hit like a whiff of coffee, and it made me want to throw open every door and window in the house, forthwith. Sure, we woke up to frost crystals in the field again this morning, but being able to get things rolling ahead of Spring is such a gift! Just a little more Winter to go. Another round of fresh greens, heavy on the Bok Choy this week, makes it a little easier.

Best,

Katie