Dear Sisters,
See the raindrops on those beautiful seed packets? You know what that means don’t you? The New England thaw has officially begun! With every raindrop that falls, another inch of frozen snow washes away exposing a little more bare ground and our garden furniture! Continue reading
is a certified farmgirl at heart. She’s happily married to her beach bum Yankee husband of 20 years. She went from career gal to being a creative homeschooling mom for two of her biggest blessings and hasn’t looked back since. Debbie left her lifelong home in the high desert of Northern Nevada 10 years ago and washed up on the shore of America’s hometown, Plymouth, MA, where she and her family are now firmly planted. They spend part of each summer in a tiny, off–grid beach cottage named “The Sea Horse.”
“I found a piece of my farmgirl heart when I discovered MaryJanesFarm. Suddenly, everything I loved just made more sense! I enjoy unwinding at the beach, writing, gardening, and turning yard-sale furniture into ‘Painted Ladies’ I’m passionate about living a creative life and encouraging others to ‘make each day their masterpiece.’”
is a “MaryJane Farmgirl” who lives in a large metropolitan area. She is a lawyer who has worked in both criminal defense and prosecution. She has been a judge, a business woman and a stay-at-home mom. In addition to her law degree, she has a Masters of Theological Studies.
“Mustering up the courage to do the things you dream about,” she says, “is the essence of being a MaryJane Farmgirl.” Learning to live more organically and closer to nature is Rebekah’s current pursuit. She finds strength and encouragement through MaryJane’s writings, life, and products. And MaryJane’s Farmgirl Connection provides her a wealth of knowledge from true-blue farmgirls.
an old-fashioned farmgirl with a pioneer spirit, lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. As a “lifelong learner” in the “Live-Free-or-Die” state, she fiercely values self-reliance, independence, freedom, and fresh mountain air. Married to her childhood sweetheart of 40+ years (a few of them “uphill climbs”), she’s had plenty of time to reinvent herself. From museum curator, restaurant owner, homeschool mom/conference speaker, to post-and-beam house builder and entrepreneur, she’s also a multi-media artist, with an obsession for off-grid living and alternative housing. Cathi owns and operates a 32-room mountain lodge. Her specialty has evolved to include “hermit hospitality” at her rustic cabin in the mountains, where she offers weekend workshops of special interest to women.
“Mountains speak to my soul, and farming is an important part of my heritage. I want to pass on my love of these things to others through my writing. Living in the mountains has its own particular challenges, but I delight in turning them into opportunities from which we can all learn and grow.”
Dori Troutman is the daughter of second generation cattle ranchers in New Mexico. She grew up working and playing on the ranch that her grandparents homesteaded in 1928. That ranch, with the old adobe home, is still in the family today. Dori and her husband always yearned for a ranch of their own. That dream came true when they retired to the beautiful green rolling hills of Tennessee. Truly a cattleman’s paradise!
Dori loves all things farmgirl and actually has known no other life but that. She loves to cook, craft, garden, and help with any and all things on their cattle farm.
describes herself as a goat charmer, chicken whisperer, bee maven, and farmers’ market baker renovating an 1864 farmhouse on an Ohio farm. With a degree in Design, Mary says small-town auctions and country road barn sales "always make my heart skip a beat thinking about what I could create or design out of what I’ve seen.”
Rooted in the countryside, she likes simple things and old ways … gardening, preserving the harvest, cooking, baking, and all things home. While you might find her selling baked goods from the farm’s milkhouse, teaching herself to play the fiddle, or sprucing up a vintage camper named Maizy, you will always find her in an apron!
Mary says, “I’m happiest with the simple country pleasures … an old farmhouse, too many animals, a crackling fire, books to read, and the sound of laughter … these make life just perfect.”
is a budding rural farmgirl living in Palmer, the agricultural seat of Alaska. Alex is a graduate student at Alaska Pacific University pursuing an M.S. in Outdoor and Environmental Education. She lives and works on the university’s 700 acre environmental education center, Spring Creek Farm. When Alex has time outside of school, she loves to rock climb, repurpose found objects, cross-country ski on the hay fields, travel, practice yoga, and cook with new-fangled ingredients.
Alex grew up near the Twin Cities and went to college in Madison, Wisconsin—both places where perfectly painted barns and rolling green farmland are just a short drive away. After college, she taught at a rural middle school in South Korea where she biked past verdant rice paddies and old women selling home-grown produce from sidewalk stoops. She was introduced to MaryJanesFarm after returning, and found in it what she’d been searching for—a group of incredible women living their lives in ways that benefit their families, their communities, and the greater environment. What an amazing group of farmgirls to be a part of!
Suburban Farmgirl Nicole Christensen calls herself a “vintage enthusiast”. Born and raised in Texas, she has lived most of her life in the picturesque New England suburbs of Connecticut, just a stone’s throw from New York State. An Advanced Master Gardener, she has gardened since childhood, in several states and across numerous planting zones. In addition, she teaches knitting classes, loves to preserve, and raises backyard chickens.
Married over thirty years to her Danish-born sweetheart, Nicole has worked in various fields, been a world-traveler, an entrepreneur and a homemaker, but considers being mom to her now-adult daughter her greatest accomplishment. Loving all things creative, Nicole considers her life’s motto to be “Bloom where you are planted”.
I am so ready to go to the garden and play in the dirt. Here in Virginia it is still cold damp and rainy, the date is April 15 for planting out. That is supposed to be the last frost date. I will start some seeds indoors in a week or so. I’m so ready. really speaking of snow the week end. Really. Spring is coming soon. hooray. Juanita
Hi Juanita!
The waiting is the hardest part. Before you know it we’ll be in full bloom and wanting to freeze the garden before it’s all gone again! Happy planting!
Hugs, Deb
OMG Deb I can’t believe those 2 pictures are of the same spot. Wow. It is 90 here today can you believe it ? I’v noticed something else going on out here, a lot of wildlife in places where you never expect to see it. There was a pair of Mallard on the door step of Wal Mart today for example. We already have tomatoes ON ! This has got to be the weirdest weather ever. Look at how many records have been broken. Back there and here.
I think when the Big eath quake hit Japan a few years ago, you know the one that caused the sunami.(?) They said then that it was hard enogh to move the earth’s axsis. I don’t know if my wording is right but My concept is —that is what has changed so much.
That and just the fact that this old world keeps on changing no matter what we do. I hope you get to the garden soon. I luv your little Corgi figure (the real one also ) 🙂
Hi Deb, I see you got your seed order in from Baker Creek Seeds! 🙂 Isn’t it so exciting! Glad you are getting some rain to melt that snow. Our weather turned freezing cold again (expected, but unwanted!) so hopefully when it warms up again it will be here to stay. I’m interested in the Ratchet Pruner you mentioned. Andrea and I purchased the pruners that Erin at Floret recommended (they are ARS SE-45) but I’m sort of worried they won’t be strong enough for cutting the sunflowers. These Ratchet Pruners look a lot stronger. Have you used them before?? I’m thinking about ordering a pair and having them to try. What are your thoughts? Also, do you purchase Dahlia tubers every year or do you dig yours up and store them for re-planting? We did, but I’m worried that they didn’t survive. It seemed so complicated when I followed the directions. I guess we’ll see! Headed to Amazon to order those garden gloves you wrote about! I’m pretty sure those are the ones we had last year and they were wonderful. Oh how exciting to look forward to our flower gardens huh??!!! 🙂 – Hugs, Dori –
Hi Dori! Yay! So exciting! I have not used the Florian Ratchet Pruners before but the demonstration was impressive! I have not mastered storing dahlia tubers yet. I buy new tubers every year but his year I’m determined to do better. It’s expensive to replace them! You and I will keep our farmgirl sisters in blooms all summer long! It’s a good thing! Hugs, Deb 🙂
Just think of the snow as a friend. It helps you get more inside projects done before the onslaught of spring makes you feel behind. Your yard is indeed beautiful.
Hi Bonnie!
Exactly! Right now I feel like I’m chomping at the bit and before you know it I’ll be bringing up the rear on all sorts of other things that need doing… Oh well, such is the life of a flower farmer… so the basement doesn’t get completely cleaned out AGAIN! 🙂 Hugs and happy gardening! Deb
Deb, oh how I miss the Boston Flower Show! It is so inspiring! The hard part is waiting for the ground to warm up enough to plant. Our daylilies are coming up but we are going to have a freeze this weekend, so we will have some brown foliage this summer. I hope to add new perennials to our garden this year, and you have inspired me to start some lands from seed. Thanks for the inspiration!
Hi Pam! That was my first time going to the Boston Flower Show… I will return! It’s definitely a shot in the arm! I bet you are really looking forward to your daylilies! Cover those babies for sure! Keep me posted on your new starts! I’ll be waiting to hear how it goes!
Hugs from the damp northeast!
Deb
Deb, you are the best to read and plan for the beauty of seeing our plants grow. I am in Panamá, but the weather stays the same and have been lucky with pinto beans and cilantro. And the flower’s are awesome. Will send you some photos later. This year I will try California poppies and wild Oregon beauties. Thanks!
If you see the Webb ‘ s in Moscow find out how their garlic is doing.
Bob
Hello Bob,
Pinto beans and cilantro.. Yum! I love the planning as much as the growing, Bob. Sounds as if you do too! California poppies are one of my favorites but I’ve only grown them a few times. So many flowers to grow and only so much room! I would love to see photos of your garden. Send them along! Thanks for the note! Deb
PS. MaryJane might know who the Webb’s are in Moscow… 🙂 I’ll inquire!
Thanks Deb, I am with the Peace Corps in Panamá, spending the last year and a half with the Emberá tribe in the Darién peninsula. Living with my friends the Emberá, I have shared your website with them…they love your photos and simple ideas. Pinto beans are different and provide the community with a basic diet. I also planted some sweet black beans from Louisiana, also ready in 40 days. Wish I could send you some photos and a recipe or two from my travels to Colombia, Paraguay, and Uruguay. I am your biggest fan in Latin America…Bob
PS: How do I send photos and recieps?
Wow! Thank you, Bob. I am honored and humbled to hear you are enjoying my’lil ole blog from the far reaches of Latin America. It sounds as if you are doing some” good work” there. You can email photos of your gardens and a recipe or two to this email address: deb@maryjanesfarm.org
I look forward to it! I may even try one of your recipes and post it on the blog! Send me an easy one! Deb
Not planting anything here yet, but I have been able to clean out flower beds, rock gardens and my herb garden . . . wore out the fingers of a pair of gloves doing so.
My irises and day lilies are putting up their “green stuff”.
April and May could still bring us freezes and kill things we would plant, even though today you wouldn’t believe that!
CJ
Deb, Love the pics of the heirloom flower seed pkts. Like you I am chomping at the bit to get outside and get planting. I am really debating whether or not to plant a large veg. garden, I have plenty space it is just that I am really wanting to be moved back to La, close to my grandbaby this year. But you know the Lord tells us to be content where we are, so while waiting on that dream, I think I will make this a dream place. 🙂 Now just gotta find someone with a tractor to till me up. and then decide what I like best to plant. The note above about the pintos got me going. I LOVE fresh pintos. We always had them growing as kids. hmmmm, what is my next step. Love ya Be Blessed Neta
Dear Neta,
I know exactly how you feel about wanting to be someplace other than where you are. Your heart wants to be near that grand-baby of yours and rightly so. When we moved East ( all the way from Nevada) I was truly homesick. Gardening and planting flowers especially helped heal my homesick heart over time. I concentrated on mostly flowers because they make me feel happy inside. Plant only what you love this year even if it’s a small patch of zinnias. They must be the cheeriest and easiest cut flower to grow! I’ll be thinking of you and your garden! Keep us posted… love ya, Deb