Some gorgeous spring-like weather this week encouraged the plants to noticeably grow bigger. But some bigger developments happened indoors ahead of our September target start date for sales. This week a wonderful local graphic designer transformed our primitive ideas into a logo that we love. And thanks to a government program to support small business I was able to spend some time asking a business advisor a raft of questions that Alex won’t listen to or doesn’t know answers to. And the advisor told me about another government program that offers any business two hours with a digital media consultant. Hopefully she can help me make our basic social media pages and website into something more engaging that I can confidently share with the world. And teach me about how to use hashtags.

• 

• 

We also bravely went along to our first Huon Producers Network Annual General Meeting. It was only brave because we are newbies with no clue; everyone there was (unsurprisingly) very nice. It was helpful to hear what the challenges have been for growers here over the past year, some of which we have experienced (green tomatoes) or puzzled over (the lack of interest in farmers’ markets). As things return to(wards) normal, the Network will also organise farm visits and workshops again, which will be a great help for us.

Outside, Alex kept covering grass with mulch. All visitors will need to compliment him on his circular pumpkin patch, which reminds him of France. Now there is a lot of space covered with mulch! Over time some of it will be replaced by plants but for now it’s the easiest way of managing the mud when it rains and keeping the grass at bay.

The sun also induced flowers from our earliest broad beans at last. They’re not as tall as they should be so they’re not providing the screen for the fence that I imagined but the first flowers are the first step towards harvesting our first broad beans so I’m happy. Meanwhile the mice keep getting around all of my attempts to keep them from other broad bean seedlings. Over the week they visited the ones that were under cover, and others that were on fairly high shelves in the tunnel and the shed. Maybe we should make the poles more slippery?

• 

• 

We had been dithering about whether to start selling produce next weekend or to delay. After extensive discussions I’ve convinced Alex that we should just begin. The lovely lady who runs the shop is enthusiastic. So, assuming no surprises during the week, we’ll kick off sales with lettuce and bunches of rainbow chard. I’m not superstitious but I’m a bit too nervous to launch the social media pages before the produce is actually sitting in the shop on Saturday!

• 

•