Between Freeze and Thaw
Soil, seedlings, and seasonal patience
It’s back.
I began drafting this newsletter last week when it was 68°, the pond ice had disappeared, and robins were stitching the yard with purposeful hops. Then winter swung again — an inch of snow, a glaze of freezing rain, a rattle of sleet against the windows. I suspect the pond has reclaimed its thin shell of ice, at least for now.
A few mornings ago, as the sun came up outside my office window, I noticed movement in the dried grass. One robin. Then five. Then what felt like a small gathering, working with deep concentration. Worm hunters. Which means something important: the frost had lifted enough for life to move again.
It feels early. Too early.
The warmth was welcome in my bones, but it made my farmer heart uneasy. We are already dry. Fruit trees and perennials are vulnerable to these false springs. Warm days wake things up. Cold nights can undo them.
This is the tension of the season — between freeze and thaw. Between short-term comfort and long-term resilience. Between what feels good now and what will sustain us later.
Farming lives in that tension.
Taking the Open Windows
We don’t waste warmth when it shows up.
The brief stretch of mild days let me finish clearing the last of the fabric mulch from fall. With that done, I can complete compost applications before spring planting begins. It’s not glamorous work, but compost is long-game farming — feeding soil so soil can feed us.
One warm-ish, windy afternoon I shelled the last of the popcorn crop. Wind is a gift when you’re winnowing corn to separate the chaff, so you take it when it comes. We even managed repairs on the big high tunnel roof — a job that requires calm air and decent temperatures. My dad had rented a manlift for another project and generously shared it with us. Sometimes progress depends on good timing and borrowed equipment.
Reciprocity doesn’t just happen between farmer and land, farm and customer. It happens between generations, neighbors, and whoever shows up with an extra set of hands (or a manlift).
High Tunnels & Hurry-Up Greens
Inside the high tunnels, the crops are responding to the temperature swings in their own way.
These are cool-season plants. When they feel warmth, they assume spring has arrived and begin preparing to flower and set seed. Normally we expect that shift in mid-March. This year, it started weeks earlier.
Many varieties are still excellent — sweet, tender, vibrant. But this will be the final harvest window for several crops. Once quality drops below our standards, they return to the compost pile to continue feeding the soil.
It’s never easy to watch crops “retire” sooner than planned. But compost is not failure. It’s continuity.
Seeds, Sowing & The In-Between Gap
Sowing seeds for the 2026 crops began right on schedule the first week of February. The nursery is glowing with trays of young seedlings — onions, greens, the earliest succession crops — all steady and promising.
Every seed for the season has been ordered, delivered, and stocked. That quiet administrative work of winter — spreadsheets, inventory, planning — is largely behind us.
But seedlings take time. They won’t be ready for transplant into the tunnels for a few more weeks. Which means we’ll experience a small production gap — a stretch where some winter crops are finishing and spring crops aren’t quite ready.
We don’t love those gaps. But farming is rarely seamless. We plan carefully. The weather revises. We adjust.
Between freeze and thaw, we wait and tend.
VegEmail & Building Something New
VegEmail continues every other Wednesday through winter (4–6pm in Des Moines and Knoxville).
During our January pause from deliveries, much of our focus went into something we’ve been wanting to build for a long time: a new online store.
When it launches (we’re close — just not quite there), it will house VegEmail order cycles as well as a permanent shop featuring Bounty Box memberships, pantry goods, fibers, and other shelf-stable items. One place for the full ecosystem of what we grow and make.
It’s taken more behind-the-scenes work than we anticipated, but we’re excited to share it soon.
Twenty Years of the Box
This year marks the 20th anniversary of our CSA — what we now call the Bounty Box.
That realization stopped me. 20 years!
When we started our CSA in 2006, there were many CSA farms scattered across Iowa. The landscape has shifted dramatically since then. Some farms have closed, others changed direction and many new farms have sprouted up. Through droughts, floods, market shifts, and pandemics, we’re still here.
Twenty seasons of trusting the land to provide.
Twenty seasons of inviting folks to join us at the table.
So this season we celebrate our members!
The Bounty Box remains the heart of our farm — 20 weeks of connection, shared abundance, and delicious chemical-free vegetables harvested at their peak. Memberships for 2026 are now open.
If you’ve ever thought about joining, this will be a fun year to dig in.
Flowers, Too
Our 2026 BLOOMS bouquet subscriptions are also open. June through August, six (or 12) abundant bouquets timed with VegEmail pickups.
After twenty+ years of vegetables, it still feels like a small miracle to add flowers to the mix — feeding our bodies, feeding our souls.
Important Dates
VegEmail continues bi-weekly through April
April 30 – Bounty Box balance payments due
April 30 – BLOOMS subscription payments due
The weather will swing again. It always does.
But seeds are sprouting. Compost is curing. Tunnels are turning over. And robins are still working the yard.
Between freeze and thaw, the work continues.
And we’re grateful you’re part of it.
Best from the farm,
Jill & Sean (and the whole BGF crew)
🥕 Love the farmers market food, hate the fuss?
If you’re a Central Iowan looking for year-round, farm-fresh, chemical-free food without the crowds, guesswork, or farmers market chaos, our VegEmail program is for you.
Every week (or every 2 weeks in the winter), we send you an order form with what’s fresh, and you pick exactly what you want.
✅ No subscriptions
✅ No commitment
✅ Just good food, from people you trust
Pick-up is easy—every other Wednesday, 4-6pm in downtown Des Moines, Knoxville, or right here on the farm. Plus, Des Moines customers can also grab Ebersole Cattle Co meats and eggs, Lost Lake Farm LLC cheeses, and CottageScapes Bakery goodies—all from one pick-up point.
Sign up at www.bluegatefarmfresh.com for food you can feel good about.
Is a monthly newsletter not enough for you? Follow us:
Website: www.bluegatefarmfresh.com
Facebook: Blue Gate Farm
Instagram at bluegatefarmfresh
Bounty Box members can also connect with other BGF members to share recipes or ask questions on our FB community page at Blue Gate Farm Community.
That’s about it for now. If you have any questions or comments, be sure to let us know.
20 years! Wow. I met you in those early days. Seeing you still going gives me hope. Miss the Gang of 4.