Spring is here and we feel life begin to unfold around us.
There is so much promise in farming. The first plantings of Fava beans, English peas, Sugar Snap Peas, Onions, Leeks, Shallots, Cabbages, Kohlrabi, Chicories, Kale, Broccoli, Butter Lettuce, Escarole, Radishes, Arugula, Beets and Carrots are tucked away into the earth.
We have done our due diligence and soil tested, remineralized, boosted organic matter and microbial populations to encourage soil life. 
And yet...we have had our first set backs.  We lost our first planting of peas and favas to cabbage maggots and had to resow...this time under protective cover.  We have had some damping off, slow germination and what we thought was great potting soil mix was just okay and needs work. ( Thank you McEnroe for your fabulous mix that we had as a back up plan.)
We want to stop tilling and I now feel it in my gut as I dip the discs and rototiller into the soil...that the time has come to start to put them away.  
We are beginning some Korean Natural Farming Practices and have been inspired by Jessica Smith of The Rebel Health Tribe to craft the most microbiologically active soil and compost teas possible.  We have deemed 2017 "the year of the microbe".
We have been reading The Market Gardener by Jean-Martin Fortier, Teaming with Microbes by Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis,  Acres Magazine and The Biodynamic Calendar as interpreted by Maria Thun for inspiration and guidance.
Nature takes time.  Spring unfolds slowly.  As a human it's challenging for me to step in time with nature and not push to fill the fields and my bank account that is a bit lean this time of year.  Every time I push I am reminded that "to everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven".  When I remember this I feel at ease and am better able to take my cues from Mother Nature.  She's in charge and begs the question "How can I help you?". 

After years of trial and error it looks like we have a nice potting soil mix at Early Girl!
The recipe is...
Ingredients: 2 5 gallon buckets peat moss, screened; 1 5 gallon bucket compost, screened; 1 5 gallon bucket perlite; 2/3 bucket worm castings/1/3 bucket inoculated biochar; 1/2 cup powdered lime; 1 cup basic organic fertilizer and a 1/3 bucket of blue stone dust.
Method: Mix screened peat with 1/2 cup lime to mellow is acidic nature.  Add screened compost and perlite(mix carefully, perhaps with a mask due to perlites dust factor).  Add worm castings, biochar, blue stone dust, nutrients.  Mix well.  Serve.
I mix everything in a Rubbermaid Farm Cart that my Dad crafted a screen in a wooden frame for.  I've had the screen for years and I think its 1/4" metal mesh.
To procure these ingredients...our friends at Green Island Distributors, Riverhead  for peat moss and perlite.  Rock Dust Local for inoculated biochar(mail order).  Castings Happen for worm castings, awesome Long Island Company.  Stevens Stone and Brick for blue stone dust, again awesome Long Island Company.
A few thoughts...Rock Dust is an important ingredient for the soil.  It boosts mineral content and the soils ability to harness paramagnetic energy for mineral distribution.  On Long Island the closest resource is Blue Stone from Upstate NY.  It's my first year using it.  It's not as finely ground as the gorgeous basalt from Rock Dust Local in New England but it's cheaper, more locally resourced and seems to be adding a nice kick to the soil mix.
I'll be putting it in the raised beds and in compost mixtures etc.  Stay tuned to find out how it lends it special qualities in those arenas.
To find out more about various rock dusts and their amazing qualities go to the Rock Dust Local website.  They are experts in the field and will blow your mind with their high quality products and knowledge.  They also have products available in bulk for delivery to save some $$$.  I'm junior varsity with this information but I can tell you from my limited experience that it really works!!