They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.
Finally got to harvesting the wheat last week, on Friday. This was a few weeks overdue. It really was ready in late June, early July. The optimal day, with that magic combination of nice weather, not too hot, no rain, and time to get to the job, with nothing more pressing that needed to be… Continue reading Gleaning the Wheat
The quest for the perfect variety of pickling cucumber for our microclimate continues. This one (Wisconsin SMR 58, from St. Clare Seeds) doesn't seem to enjoy the heat very much. It has started to become quite wilted. Still producing a few small cucumbers though, but nothing like the volume we had hoped for. By contrast,… Continue reading Cucumber, Hubbard and Crabapple
We are actually a couple of weeks behind on these. Comes of being too busy. Photography brought to you by Ellie-Belle! We tried something new this time. Instead of planting the seeds in dry potting soil and then watering them in, we started by soaking the potting soil in water, before putting it in the… Continue reading More Brassica Starts
Not everything can be woodworking around here. There are too many other things that need to be done. For instance the raspberries are coming on fast, And when we checked on the blackberries, some of them were ripening. They always ripen from the end of the branch first. In every cluster the most distal berry… Continue reading Garden and Orchard Update.
Now that the spring weeding is complete, we can finally get started with the summer weeding. I have switched out my workout schedule so I am only training Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. On Wednesdays and Fridays I am running wood chips or pulling weeds. This section along the fence between the garden and the… Continue reading More Weeding, More Garlic.
Coming back from Captain's Career Course was disheartening, because I had been absent from the garden for more than two weeks. I wasn't able to get immediately back to it either, because of work, and more National Guarding. However, in the last week, with help from the two older girls, we have been making some… Continue reading Weeding and Garlic Harvest
This really should have been done a month ago, back when the squashes and maters went in the ground. But it didn't. Some years are like that. It took until June Something-or-other even to get Bed 2 weeded this year. Once the weeds were pulled out then we had to mound it up, throwing the… Continue reading Trellising.
The hardneck garlic we planted last year is almost ready. It has been growing scapes. The scapes are the curly flower stalks on the top of the garlic "neck." These would straighten out and develop into a flower if left alone, but we don't want that. We want the garlic plant to put all its… Continue reading Garlic Scape Butter
When you head to Texas for two weeks... The weeds decide they own the place. Seriously, some of them were over my head. Of course, it's an ill wind that blows no good. The ruminants were all pleased as punch about the wheelbarrow loads of weeds they were getting out of the deal. It's hot… Continue reading Weeding and composting.
After the beans and peas planting, it was a couple of days before any of us got to the farm. Mommy and Ellie flew to Virginia and North Carolina for Ellie's 3rd grade trip. The visited Roanoke, Jamestown, and Williamsburg. Ellie wasn't sure about it at first because she didn't want to be the only… Continue reading Elevated Irrigation
