Spring is here, so now what?

We've been eagerly awaiting the passing of winter for the past 5 or so months and it seems that the last bit of snow has finally melted from our field. So now what?  I feel like I got caught up working too much and haven't made adequate plans for the impending spring which is now upon us. 

There's so much to do and oftentimes I feel like I don't even know where to start.  For the most part I feel like the point we are now at can not be taught by reading another gardening book. Now's the time to dig in, literally, and it scares the crap out of me.  It's our first full growing season independently and although my motto is more or less, 'put it in the ground and it will grow', what if it doesn't?

The snow has barely been off of the field two weeks and the deer have wasted no time helping themselves to the winter rye we planted in the fall. It hasn't had the opportunity to do much growing so now we're left to wonder whether to till it under mechanically with the aid of our neighbors Kubota tractor or if we'll be able to turn it over by hand and work it in while making the garden beds.

This brings us to our next concern. Though the ground may be workable enough to plant some of our earliest crops, our garden is not yet prepared.  As the space was only cleared of brush in the fall we have no established beds made.  Our plan is to make an informal 'raised' bed garden.  We'll start by settling on the positioning and size of the beds then use sticks as stakes to rope off the area where the beds will be.  We're planning to turn the loose soil from the 'paths' into the beds, essentially lowering the pathway and raising the beds.  We hope this will work.  I'd say we could get to work on this immediately once we solve the till/no-till problem, but it's awfully wet out.  Can this type of work be done before the soil dries up and becomes more workable? Will any damage be caused to the soil structure if we do decide to brave the mud and work the field?

Then there are the deer. Pesky and persistant they will be competing with us for the food in our garden.  Part of me says that the deer will find a way to eat some of the crops no matter what kind of deterrant you install and it's just a part of growing your own vegetables. Pots and pans clanging from tree branches glinting in the sun probably stand no chance when pitted against deer which aren't afraid of much of anything anymore.  So how do we combat this?  Of course we'll trying pots and pans and shiny objects, dryer sheets and any other wacky method we read about, but what else should we/can we do?  Row cover certainly will help while also providing added protection until the weather is stable. But what about fencing?  How high would it need to be and would it actually be worth the potential investment/effort?

Most importantly is the planting. What to plant, when to plant, where to plant.  What is the sun's pattern over the field and what does that mean in terms of where to plant the crops that like partial sun vs. full sun.  Which plants grow best when interplanted along with others? What types of trellising to we need? How do we manage succession planting, etc?

It's all very exciting and very overwhelming and this only scratches the surface of the running farm to-do list that tear through my brain like a frieght-train.  I quit one of my two jobs today and in doing so took the first step towards simplifying my responsibilities and focusing on accomplishing the aspects of my life that I really want.  With less demand on my time from 'work' I can put more effort into my real work which right now is figuring out how to navigate the spring-time challenges of the first year farmer.