SPRING! According to the calendar, it’s only 6 days away. Because there’s so much to do to prepare for planting, Dad gets pretty anxious when it comes to spring. A planting window can be very short, so you have to be ready to go when the conditions are right, or you miss the boat. Even before we grew much sweet corn, we never went anywhere over spring break because Dad couldn’t be away from the farm. He just has too much going on in his brain to relax!

To help you all picture what life is like for Dad during this busy time of year, we thought it’d be a great time to ask him some questions we commonly get at the beginning of the season:

What do you do all winter long?

I plan for next year. There’s a lot to do–from getting all the equipment and trucks ready to ordering supplies, attending conferences, and making any changes we need to make to get better. I’m always trying to think of ways we can improve any part of the process.

Connor, Bryce, and Dad getting the planter ready

How do you know when it’s time to plant?

When it gets dry enough—usually around the end of March.

When do you predict us having our first taste of sweet corn this year?

I hope it’s ready by July the 4th, but it’s always a moving target.

What’s your favorite part of the sweet corn process?

I like seeing Mother Nature change that small tiny seed into a luscious ear of sweet corn—it makes me realize that God is in control. I also enjoy meeting and talking with people at the farmers’ markets. Knowing how much people enjoy sweet corn makes the hard work worth it.

Anything new for this season?

We are making more ridges in the soil to have more sweet corn early—they’ll be covered with low plastic tunnels to keep the seedlings warm and protect them from freezes. We also are converting another truck to have sides that fold down, so it’s easy to use at markets.

We plan to be at the same markets as usual and to continue selling sweet corn online. One change this year is that The Market at Hague will be moving back to Binford. We are looking forward to 2018 and hope to produce the best sweet corn possible.

As you can see, it’s an exciting (and busy) time of year at My Dad’s Sweet Corn. We’re eager for the weather to get warmer, to start planting, and to see those first plants emerge out of the ground!

To keep up with all the news on the farm—and to know when and where you can get your first taste of sweet corn—make sure you’re following us on Facebook. Happy Spring!