Aaron's Page
Having a heart to heart. This guy is oh so social.
Then up he hops onto my shoulder, usually getting nicely settled on my left. Not sure what it all means for Thanksgiving dinner.
RAIN is the topic, usually whether there is too much or not enough. Driving sheets, thunderbolts, steady showers, we've had it all everyday, since Saturday. That is a whole mess of water. I am not going to start whining after experiencing drought conditions, but it is time to turn off the sky faucet. If mud prevents planting that's no good either. Ahh, to receive just the right amount is always the high wire act for growers.
Toms and zukes are looking good for this Saturday's CSA bag. The rain will help all those weed seeds germinate. Looks like tomorrow will be half weeding and half planting. More varieties of cukes and squash are going in the ground. We've lost several days for working and need to ramp up the effort.
Baby Napoli and Yellowstone carrots
Columbian feathered Wyandotte eating overripe cukes
Brown Chinese goose doing perfect ballet move
Royal Palm turkey
Coreopsis
Finally water!!!
Not quite ready toms
Fantastic helpers Lauren and Emily
Oh! What an everyday tool for other produce growers, drip irrigation. Not so for me, for years I hauled water from down the road. Our trailer location has 2 water hydrants. The Spring was so cold and wet that drip irrigation was not on my radar. June brought week after week of no rain, and temps in the 90's created stress for the plants, and me. I kept thinking it'll rain, it'll rain! No, not a drop fell from those clouds.
Today I went to Nolt's and got "fitted" for my garden. All the line, connectors, valves, pressure regulator etc. to give my plants a drink. Now I know nothing about the particulars of drip tape. I feared I would not be able to do it correctly. Voila! It went together quite easily, and as I write all my plants are having a nice root soak. Arrrggh, why didn't I do this weeks ago???
CSA members have been wonderful and very gracious concerning the absence of zukes and peppers in their shares. This time last year the shares had squash, eggplant and artichokes. I doubt the chokes are going to make it. They are over at the other location without water. It has been a less than ideal growing season. Growers who have drip tape and greenhouses are the ones who have loads of toms, squash, peppers and cukes.
Perseverance is a plan. I don't waste time (well not excessively) dwelling on all the stuff that's going haywire. Instead, I plod slow and steady trying to remedy one problem as it appears, and ward off future catastrophes. This week will be a scorcher, stay cool mentally and physically.
Ummm, we need rain. Several weeks of dry weather are showing; corn leaves are pointed, leafy greens wilt around noon, squash leaves are droopy and the ground remains hard. This week temps hovered in the high 80's and low 90's. Did I mention humidity? Check. Yea, we need rain.
CSA shares were minus a gorgeous 6" head of purple broccoli due to "buttoning". Temp spikes and uneven water cause heads to stay 2-3" and even have leaves grow through the heads. I grew broccoli four years ago and decided it was a horrible, tempermental diva best left to masochistic growers with drip irrigation. Oh well, I will try again for a Fall crop.
My friend Julia came by Friday morning to lend a hand with odd jobs. What a job, as she weeded the potato patch. Another family dropped by to also lend a hand. The children filled sandbags, spread mushroom soil on the flower beds and did some weeding. What a blessing to have these extra hands!
Last night I went to wash my hands and NO water, not a drop. Thanks to the selfless kindness of my neighbor Delmar, I had water before dark. The pump protector circut went bad. I had never seen the inside of a well pit. Not the kind of place I would want to spend any appreciable time. Not to mention I don't think I would have fit through the entry hole! Delmar slid down there without blinking an eye. Seeing how he is a dairy farmer such places do not skeeve him.
Growing is an art more than a science. Can I ever learn enough? Thank you all for supporting our farm.
You know it is June when peas are on the scene.
Garlic Scapes, the ephemeral pesto treat.
These are seasonal markers for foodies. CSA members, I hope you will make a pungent pesto to savor with crusty bread or pasta! Enjoy each vegetable as it becomes available. Beans, Cornichon Cukes, carrots, cabbage and broccoli are growing nicely, it won't be long before you will see them in the share bags.
The last 2 weeks have been wonderful. Help has arrived and her name is Emily, an exceptional intern! She has given the farm a real boost, meaning we just might catch up. Here are some pics of what we have accomplished.
First day on the job she weeded grapes.
Our goslings are growing at an alarming rate, who knew?
These birds LOVE grass and weeds!
Driving the BCS, aka THE BEAST
Setting tomato stakes with a heavy post driver, builds the biceps.
Emily cleaned up these toms, which were just about buried in red root pigweed.
April brought wacky weather to the extreme. The plants endured a 90 degree high followed by frost. Our furnace rumbled out hot air all by itself, thanks to the 55 degree interior temperature. This has continued throughout May, the coldest in recent memory. Let's not forget how exceedingly wet and soggy this entire Spring has been, creating cultivating and planting delays.
A bright spot of cheer appeared in the form of poultry. Day old chicks, poults, goslings and ducklings arrived, maxing out the cute meter. They proved a significant distraction to the daily task list! And they grow FAST.
After two plus months I finally have internet! It has been very frustrating patching together e-mails with my $20.00 cell phone, not exactly two tin cans and a string, but far from user friendly. Thank you to all the share members who have signed up this year. Later I will post some pictures of our crops and baby chickens. This afternoon we need to transplant fruiting plants: tomatoes, cantaloupe, squash, tomatillas, and okra. The weather has been ridiculously cold and rainy.
The new growing location is prepped and ready for potatoes, sugar peas, snow peas, carrots, greens and lots of other tasty fare. Not too much time for posting as we are working outside. May 8th will be upon us too soon! Work work work!
Meanwhile back at the ranch................or our first location, that too is being prepped. The ground was very soggy, we could not get into the field for about 2 weeks. Finally got initial tilling done for carrot beds. And so it goes, each day has a list of tasks to keep on schedule. Right now the wait is on for transplants to size up.
After luxuriating in balmy temps the thermometer plunged to 45 degrees yesterday. To add insult to injury, cold rain pounded us accompanied by 40 mph wind gusts. I want my warm yellow rays back!
Our March has entered like a lion, with roaring snow, ice, fantastic winds and cold. Despite all that, my spirit is optimistic. Gorgeous seed varieties, a new washing/packing area, and another 1/4 acre for production create wonderful possibilities for 2010.
While waiting for lion to lamb transformation there is a heavy workload during March. How to get it all done?? The anticipation of all the new seedlings is the perfect antidote for end of winter doldrums. Fixing up our "new" barn and prepping the additional ground will make for very long days. I'm so grateful that I have the ability to see and do physical work, I don't care how long the day turns!