It's mid-March 2024 and we just experienced a wild storm cycle! Jackson Hole Mountain Resort reported 30" of snow in 24 hours at the beginning of March, and it continued to snow for the following two weeks. All the fences, buildings, and roads on the Linn Ranch are disappearing under the snow - or are already gone.
We love the winter, of course. The whole Ranch gets turned into a winter wonderland, perfect for cross-country skiing, snow-shoeing, ice-skating, and sledding. Lots of wildlife moves through too: moose, elk, deer, coyotes, swans, and all kinds of smaller birds and wildlife. We sometimes even get river otters living in our ponds. The pace of our life slows down in the winter, and everyone has a little more downtime.
But when snow storms like this one hit we have to go to work. Roads, pathways, and gates have to be cleared right away, or they will be under the snow until it melts in the spring. The Hoop House we built for Linn Ranch Gardens sheds snow fairly well, but we have to keep the sides clear in order for that to happen. So far so good!
Despite the snow, we're already thinking about the spring and summer. We are setting up our plant nursery and starting our tomatoes, peppers, and other long-growing veggies. We are also planning the projects we'll be doing this spring: fencing around the gardens and other areas, cover crop seed drilling, perimeter fence maintenance, clearing downed trees and debris, and repairing any damage caused by the deep snow. Snowplowing is particularly hard on fences and gates - some of our piles are over 10 ft tall. We also have a spring slaughter date coming up for Linn Ranch Beef - order your share here.
It feels a little strange to be planting seeds in the depths of winter. In some places March may signal the start of spring - here on the Linn Ranch we're still harvesting snow.
Cheers,
The Linns
If you'd like to join our CSA farmshare program this summer click here. If you'd like to purchase Linn Ranch Beef click here. To be added to our email list click here.
