The equinox passes. Light overtakes dark. The ground thaws and the urgent outdoor work begins. Everything planned in winter now gets built, planted, and pruned.
March — Outside Work Begins
Building, Planting, Pruning
- Cold frames and hot boxes deployed: manure loaded, seedlings transplanted
- Cloches and Wall O' Water on earliest transplants
- Tree pruning: fruit trees, nut trees, ornamentals (before bud break)
- Stone fruit pruning (as buds swell, late March)
- Coppicing: final cuts before spring growth
- Plant native bare-root stock: saskatoon, elderberry, native hazelnut, currant, gooseberry
- Native hedgerow establishment: wild rose, Oregon grape, snowberry for wildlife corridors
- Direct seed peas, spinach, radishes under row cover
- Remove silage tarps, plant pre-warmed beds same day
- Harden off indoor seedlings (7–10 day process)
- Start brassica seeds indoors
- Apply soil amendments to thawed beds (lime, compost, minerals)
- Chickens: chicks arrive, brooder management (95°F, reduce 5° per week)
- Rabbits: wean first kits, move to grow-out pens, pasture tractors out when ground thaws
- Goat milking: daily routine, fresh cheese, yogurt, and kefir production begins
- Donkeys: active bonding patrol with new kids and calves; territory walk with the new season — they are mapping the land again
- Cattle: calving continues through early March; milking routine establishing; first butter and cream of the year; cows eager for any green thing pushing through the mud
- Work & Riding Horses: the original tractor comes online — first plowing and harrowing of early beds; hauling compost to the garden; that first morning of spring field work, horse breath steaming in cold air, is one of the finest things the homestead offers
- Livestock guardian dog: bonding with new kid goats, assess territory for spring predators
- Maple sap: peak flow, final boils
- Compost turning: activate piles for spring application
- Beekeeping: install packages or nucs when weather allows
- Fence building and raised bed construction (ground thawed)
- Grafting fruit trees (late March, scion wood collected while dormant)
April — Full Spring
Transplanting, Soil Work, Pollination
- Transplant brassicas outdoors: cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale under row cover
- Direct seed: carrots, beets, turnips, lettuce, chard, more peas
- Start warm-season seeds indoors: tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, melons
- Potato planting: cut seed potatoes, cure, plant in trenches or straw
- Onion sets and transplants into prepared beds
- Succession planting begins: sow lettuce, radish, spinach every 2 weeks
- Perennial beds: divide and transplant rhubarb, comfrey, horseradish, herbs
- Berry patch maintenance: prune raspberries, mulch strawberries, train blackberries
- Asparagus harvest begins (established beds only, 6–8 week harvest window)
- Mushroom log inoculation: shiitake, oyster plugs into fresh-cut hardwood
- Chickens: move chicks to outdoor coop, begin pasture rotation; egg production climbing with daylight
- Rabbits: breed does for summer litters, expand pasture tractor rotation
- Goats: kids weaning, begin training to lead and tie; browse expanding on pasture edges
- Cattle: calves growing fast on spring milk; rotational grazing begins as pasture greens up; fly management planning
- Donkeys: shedding winter coats; brush daily to bond and check skin; they are the early warning system now — watch their ears
- Work & Riding Horses: heavy garden work continues — dragging, harrowing, hauling fence posts; conditioning rides begin on trails drying out; spring farrier visit for trim or reset
- Livestock guardian dog: full patrol mode; coyote and fox activity peaks with denning season
- Beekeeping: first inspections, check queen laying pattern, feed if stores are low
- Compost: side-dress established beds, brew compost tea for transplants
- Pollinator habitat: plant native wildflower strips, leave undisturbed ground for ground-nesting bees
- Irrigation setup: lay drip lines, repair rain barrels, connect to water source
- Soil testing: send samples for pH, macro/micronutrients if not done in fall
- Maple syrup: season ends, clean and store equipment
- Spring cleaning: greenhouse, tool shed, root cellar — organize and repair
May — Frost-Free Planting
Full Production Begins
- Transplant warm-season crops after last frost: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash, cucumbers, melons, basil
- Direct seed beans, corn, sunflowers, dill, cilantro
- Three Sisters planting: corn, beans, squash together in mounds
- Sweet potato slips into warm soil with black plastic mulch
- Stake, cage, and trellis: tomatoes, peas, cucumbers, pole beans
- Mulch everything: straw, wood chips, or leaf mold — 4–6 inches deep
- First harvests: radishes, lettuce, spinach, green onions, asparagus continues
- Succession sow: beans, lettuce, carrots, beets every 2–3 weeks through summer
- Herb garden: transplant or direct seed parsley, dill, cilantro, basil, chamomile, calendula
- Flower planting: nasturtium, marigold, zinnia, borage for companion planting and pollinators
- Chickens: full free-range or rotational grazing; pullets from March chicks integrating into flock
- Meat birds: broilers to pasture pens, move daily onto fresh grass
- Rabbits: summer litters kindling, grow-out pens at capacity, begin processing schedule
- Goats: full milk production, cheese aging, browse management in full swing; kids to pasture full-time
- Cattle: rotational grazing schedule locked in; bull turned out with cows for fall calving; fly control measures in place (traps, garlic, dust bags)
- Donkeys: fully integrated with herd; summer coats in; they are at their calmest and most watchful now — the guardian rhythm is established
- Work & Riding Horses: cultivation work between rows; trail riding in earnest; watch for heat stress during heavy work; electrolytes in water on hot days
- Livestock guardian dog: summer patrol routine; provide shade and water stations at pasture edges
- Beekeeping: add supers as needed, watch for swarming signs, split strong hives
- Pond and water systems: stock fish if applicable, check irrigation pressure, repair leaks
- Pest scouting: daily walks through garden — hand-pick, identify, decide before it becomes a problem
- Preserve early harvests: dehydrate herbs, freeze greens, ferment radishes and green onions
- Hay: first cut late May if weather cooperates; horse and cattle winter feed starts now
- Record keeping: planting dates, varieties, weather notes — the almanac writes itself when you pay attention