The Extremely Average Farm

04/16/2026

The plants are getting big and the flowers are such a pretty sight inside 🌼💗

Seed potatoes finally arrive today, later than I hoped, but I’m excited to get them going!

Outside, peas are up, onions are in, and the lettuce mixes are coming along nicely. Hoping to sneak in some more planting before tomorrow’s cold front.

Funny enough… the garlic I planted two years ago decided this is its year 😂 It’s all popping up, so maybe garlic scapes are finally in my future!

The strawberries are all greening up and I’ve got more crowns coming next week 🍓

And after the pigs completely wiped out my chives last year… looks like it’s time to start those over today too 🐷🌱

04/16/2026

Farm chores with kids = chaos + fun 🤣🐶

Puppies got their booster shots today!

These cover:
• Distemper
• Adenovirus (Type 1 & 2)
• Parainfluenza
• Parvovirus
• Helps prevent leptospirosis

Subcutaneous shots (under the skin) are actually super straightforward. Most come as a dry “cake” + liquid, mix them together, shake it up, draw it into a syringe and you’re good to go.

Just keep it clean: wash up well and use a fresh needle for each pup.

After inserting the needle, I pull back slightly on the plunger to check for blood, just to make sure I’m not in a vein.

We keep all the pups in the truck bed while we’re working so we don’t mix up who’s been done, once they get their shot, they come out. Simple system, saves a lot of confusion.

Also… camera work by my daughter, so enjoy the action shots 😂🎥

04/09/2026

Have you ever wondered how plants defend themselves being stationary? 🌱

Well, I sure have! A while back, I read a book called What Plants Know, and it answered a lot of questions but also left me with even more to ponder. The big one: how do plants know to communicate and defend themselves?

This week’s topics in class really helped me understand that plants are far from passive. They can release chemical signals to warn their neighbors, and they even attract beneficial insects. For instance, the tomato hornworm, parasitic wasps lay their eggs on it, and the larvae literally eat the hornworm alive. Gross, but amazing!

Plants also produce their own natural insecticides, like the compounds found in coffee plants, yews, and to***co. While these chemicals protect the plants, humans actually use them for all sorts of things: we enjoy that morning cup of coffee ☕, many people use to***co, and yew plants contain taxol, which is used in chemotherapy. Plus, they have physical defenses, thorns, thick cuticles, and tiny hairs called trichomes that make it tough for pests to feed.

I’m totally fascinated by all this!! Plants and bugs are just amazing together! 🌿✨

**Not my picture, just found on Google ***

04/02/2026

500 seemed like a good number… but who’s gonna plant them for me 🤪😂 fine… I’ll do it

04/02/2026

Oh how I love flower blooms and the smell of fresh rain 🌼

04/01/2026

First Petunia bloom of the year 💜

03/24/2026

Feeling honored!! I’ve been asked by the producers of Common Ground to make a short video sharing my experience teaching the film! 🎬✨ Even though I’m no longer at the school, this film sparked incredible conversations about ecosystems, soil, and where our food comes from, and it’s amazing to see that they want to share my story with a wider audience. I will be sure to share the video here once it’s made!

03/18/2026

Tomatoes are getting big. We are running out of shelf space outside of the tents so I probably won’t be starting much more LOL

03/16/2026

Ok friends, you hear me all the time say: “Get your soil tested!” 🌱 But how—and where—can you actually do it?

Good news: it’s super simple! You can send your soil samples to the Colorado State University Soil Testing Lab. A basic S1 test is just $45 and includes all the essentials you need to know about your soil to grow a healthy garden.

You only need to do this once a year, although you can do it as many times as you’d like.

Trust me when I say, testing your soil will save you $$ and a headache in the future.

Fertilizing without a soil test is just guessing.

Here’s the info you need to get started:

• Instructions for sending in your sample:

https://agsci.colostate.edu/soiltestinglab/

• Price list for tests:
https://agsci.colostate.edu/soiltestinglab/price-list/

The best way to grow a thriving garden is knowing exactly what your soil needs 💗🌿

Soil, Water and Plant Testing Laboratory In This SectionSWPT Laboratory Sample Submittal Forms Test Codes and Price List Soil Sampling Instructions Water Sampling Instructions Forage Sampling Instructions Contact Us What We Analyze SOIL | WATER | PLANTS | COMPOST | MANURE The Soil-Water-Plant Labora...

03/14/2026

Hi everyone! I’m Heather from The Extremely Average Farm, and this week I answered some of the gardening questions you sent me. I cover everything from potato towers and strawberry winter protection to Epsom salt myths, GMOs, and NPK basics.

I know the video is a little long 😅 so bear with me, I promise there’s lots of great information!

If you’ve ever wondered:
• How to transplant strawberries and raspberries
• Whether potato towers really work
• How to fertilize mid-season
• Or what GMOs really are

…then this video is for you!

I tried to keep my explanations simple and practical so even beginners can follow along. I also share a couple of real-life lessons from my farm, like what happens when you leave straw on strawberries all season 😅.

💬 Drop your questions in the comments and I’ll answer them in the next Q&A video!

03/11/2026

Hi everyone! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Heather.

I’m currently studying Soil & Crop Science at AIMS Community College and plan to transfer to Colorado State University to finish my bachelor’s degree.

During the growing season I get a lot of gardening questions, especially when something goes wrong. Leaves start turning yellow, plants stop growing, or something just doesn’t look right. I love those questions because teaching people how to garden is something I’m really passionate about.

Plant biology and soil chemistry can sound really complicated, but my goal is always to break things down in a simple way that actually makes sense.

Some of you may also know I started a garden program at a local elementary school, where I created the curriculum and taught kids about soil and growing food. That really helped me learn how to explain these topics in a way anyone can understand.

This weekend I’m planning to record a gardening Q&A video so you can get to know me a little better and learn something along the way.

So here’s my question for you 👇
What gardening or soil questions do you have?

Drop them in the comments and I’ll answer as many as I can in the video this weekend 🌱

03/11/2026

One question I get asked a lot is: What fertilizer should I use?

Most people are hoping for a quick answer like “use fish fertilizer” or “add kelp.” The truth is, without a soil test, there’s no way to know what your soil actually needs.

Here in Colorado, our soils are usually neutral to slightly alkaline. Neutral is ideal for most vegetable crops, but when soils become too alkaline they often contain higher levels of calcium carbonate. When that happens, plants can struggle to convert iron into a usable form. This means that no matter how much fertilizer you add, plants may still struggle to take up nutrients.

That’s why soil pH is one of the most important factors when planning a garden. You don’t want to spend money on fertilizer only to end up with poor plant growth.

Many of our soils are also clay-based, which means they can be more sodic and prone to salinity buildup. This can become an even bigger issue if you’re watering with household water that runs through a water softener.

Because of this, gardeners often add organic matter to improve soil structure. This helps open up pore space so roots can access water, oxygen, and nutrients more easily.

But even with better soil structure, you still need to know what nutrients are already present before choosing a fertilizer.

A lot of advice online says to just use a “balanced fertilizer.” That can work for raised beds or container gardens, where nutrients are used up and leach out more quickly.

However, in in-ground gardens, nutrients behave differently. Phosphorus and potassium tend to stay in the soil and build up over time, while nitrogen is soluble and can leach away much faster.

If your garden has been established for several years, there’s a good chance you already have plenty of phosphorus and potassium in your soil. In many cases, the nutrient that actually needs replenishing is nitrogen.

When that’s the case, a nitrogen-focused fertilizer (like urea) can be a better option, since it replaces the nutrient that is most likely to be lost from the soil.

The bottom line: before spending money on fertilizer, test your soil. It’s the easiest way to understand what your plants actually need, and what they don’t.

Learn to interpret soil tests taken from the vegetable, lawn, and new garden areas. #4250