After a long and deeply cold winter, we finally see spring on the horizon.  The ground has thawed, the chickens picked up production, and my Texan of a wife has worn a t-shirt outside.  It must be Spring.

Today marked the first bloom of one of our crocuses, almost a full month later than it bloomed last year.  Things seem a little slow to wake up this year, but it's happening: the daffodils poke through the leaves and mulch in search of light, our silver maple has already bloomed, and the bluebirds are searching out their spring homes.

The start of spring here at Threefold Farm meant today was spent getting the garden in order and sowing the early crops: kale, lettuce, onions (sets), carrots, beets, and maybe some potatoes later this week.  To give everything an extra boost, we've transformed several of our raised beds into little cold frames.  These cold frames helped us overwinter some delicious spinach (it survived -5F!) that's beginning to grow again after a long hiatus. It will help us speed up germination and growth of the seeds we've just planted.  Even these small cold frames will add a few weeks to the beginning and end of our growing season.

Do you use raised beds or cold frames? Got any tips to share? Let us know in the comments!