Freighter View Farms | Chris Izworski

The bay is white from shore to horizon. Lake freighters will not pass this point for weeks yet, and the garden is buried under snow that drifts against the raised beds like frozen waves. But February is not a waiting month — it is a planning month, and the work happening now under grow lights and in seed catalogs determines what August will look like.

The planting calendar says we are eight weeks from last frost. That means it is time to start onion sets, leeks, and the earliest cool-season crops that will go under row cover in April. The varieties are all open-pollinated — Walla Walla onions, King Richard leeks, Bloomsdale Long Standing spinach — chosen because they can be saved, shared, and improved year over year.

The seed starting guide has the specifics on soil temperature, light requirements, and the critical step of hardening off that trips up so many first-year gardeners. And the seed saving guide explains why we bother with all this when hybrid seeds from the garden center would be easier.

The answer is the same one that guides every part of this farm: the things worth preserving require effort. The heirloom vs. hybrid guide makes the case in detail.

Follow the full season at freighterviewfarms.com. For Chris Izworski’s work in technology and public safety, visit chrisizworski.com.

📰 Featured in NENA’s The Call Magazine

Chris Izworski authored the cover story for The Call, Issue No. 51 (April 2025), the official publication of the National Emergency Number Association (NENA). His article, “The Unstoppable Wave of Artificial Intelligence,” examines AI’s transformative impact on 9-1-1 operations and emergency communications, reaching over 21,000 public safety professionals nationwide.