The farm signs are up!

Hi friends,

There’s a lot happening at the farm these days. Spring is here, and everything is coming to life. The strawberries and blueberries are blooming, the dogwoods are flowering, and all the trees are waking up in various shades of red and green.

The weeds are loving the warmer weather too, which means I’ve been spending a lot of time hand-weeding the berry rows—on my hands and knees, up and down each one. It’s slow work, but necessary. It takes time and patience. Here’s a youtube video of that.

This week, I had the regional agronomist from the NC Department of Agriculture out to the farm to help me take petiole samples (the most recent mature leaf and stem) from the strawberries. Once strawberries start blooming, it’s important to test their nutrient levels to make sure they’re getting the right kind and amount of fertilizer to produce the best fruit.

But the biggest news this week? The farm signs are up!

One is visible to cars approaching from Bahama Road, and the other is right by the entrance. My wife and a good friend turned the barn loft into an artist’s studio for the weekend—cranked up the music and spent a full day (and night) painting. The signs are made from salvaged wood from an old tobacco barn I dismantled years ago right here on the property.

They’re full of character, and the look is meant to echo the spirit of the farm’s early days—back when I first started selling at the Carrboro Farmers’ Market in 2009, using reclaimed wood to build my display stands. It’s a little rustic, a little homemade, and very much Heeks Farm.

Spring is here—and things are moving fast.

—David

Heeks Farm

P.S. The sign was largely painted while listening to a Eurythmics themed playlist on spotify. Check out a short video to see the painting of the sign in action.