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Post by bunkie on Jun 7, 2008 12:42:56 GMT -5
we're cold, wet and rainy here. was 38F this morning. we have corn, beans, tomatoes, cukes and squash in the gardens. more toms, herbs, melons, grains still growing in the greenhouse till we get a dry day. the onions, garlic, etc... are really enjoyiong the wet and cold!
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Post by Alan on Jun 10, 2008 21:46:09 GMT -5
We have had record heat for the past 6 or 7 days here in Southern Indiana and everything has gone into major overdrive!
Cabbage is growing and heading quickly, collards producing a profusion of leaves, broccoli heading up nicely, squash is growing bigger everyday, tomatoes are blooming and starting to sprawl, corn is unstopable. Everything seems to finally be working out!
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Post by plantsnobin on Jun 11, 2008 7:43:39 GMT -5
I'm glad Alan is excited about the weather here. I HATE it. Been hotter than blazes. The second day of the awful heat, I decided to 'become one' with it. Stayed outside all day, only coming in when I had to. Worked hard just keeping all the animals watered. Then put up some hay. I am now finally in the summer mode. I am resolved to the fact that I am going to be very smelly for the next couple of months.
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Post by Alan on Jun 13, 2008 15:00:00 GMT -5
It's definetly been hot, in fact too hot for this time of the year, but after that cold wet spring, anything has got to be better, at least for the growth of our gardens, food suppy, money line, and eventually soul and spirit.
After the rain earlier today my squash started making flowers! One step close to some more money!
Yay!
I still haven't taken pics yet, been so busy I haven't had a chance, I don't have anything going on tomarrow morning or Sunday (other than some seed starting) so perhps that will be a good time to get some pics taken!
This evening I'll be writing some more articles and starting some mullberry and strawberry seeds.
Getting caught up is great, having sellable produce is even better! Summer is about to kick into high gear for me!
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oldgaredneck
gardener
Bring back the rotary phone so we don't have to press "1" for English
Posts: 138
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Post by oldgaredneck on Jun 14, 2008 3:57:43 GMT -5
Even though it's still very hot and dry, we're getting stuff accomplished later in the evening when the garden gets shaded. Literally got on my hands and knees yesterday to weed the okra and squash.
Thoroughly enjoyed looking for and squishing squash bugs and their eggs - I WILL have some squash this year, dadgummit! Cowpeas and beans are looking excellent, also our one volunteer Moon & Stars melon vine. My beautiful blushing bride of almost 19 years transplanted tomato plants into the garden, mulched them and watered everything. We then sat on the porch and transplanted pomegranite trees (which she started from seed last year) into bigger pots, transplanted some more cherry tomatos into pots and my last surviving tomatillo. Sometime this coming week I need to move the gourds (bushel, African wine kettle and egg) to the back yard. On the down side, still no sign of any other varieties of watermelons, cantelopes or the different winter squashes in the back garden. The only things back there looking good are the whippoorwill peas, Bigboy cowpeas, butterbeans, Mississippi Silver cowpeas and my one lonely row of peanuts. We have had several sporadic thunderstorms and rain, but nowhere near the amount of water we need.
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Post by Jim on Jun 16, 2008 17:03:31 GMT -5
I'm so far behind. I just planted a bunch of new mints, oreganos, lemon balm, lemon grass, blue basil, and a few maters. I've got a ton of tomato seedlings to put in. I'm embarassed how far behind I am. Oh well..
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Post by americangardener on Jun 16, 2008 19:49:26 GMT -5
Clarkbar.. you're not the only one who's behind...
I'm struggling to just get these tomatoes and peppers in the ground. Usually i'd of had em all in already. Looks like at the rate i'm going it'll be July before i'm finally done with em. And then i've got to go and stake em all. I'm cutting up some branches from all those fallen trees from the storm last week.. but then that's taking me away from time i could spend planting. Just so much to do and so little time. And i just don't seem to have the energy i did last year either.
At least i got a good amount of squash and beans put in already... now if i could just keep ahead of those darn rabbits that seem to be eating the bean plants faster than i can plant the seeds... then i'll be happy.
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Post by grungy on Jun 17, 2008 0:30:43 GMT -5
Sounds like this is the year of the late gardens. We're behind too.
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Post by flowerpower on Jun 17, 2008 7:16:47 GMT -5
I'm kinda glad I am running late this yr. or I would have no mater plants right now. Of the 2 dozen I planted in the ground, I have maybe 2 left. The pea-sized hail just destroyed them yesterday (naturally). But all the ones I had in pots on the deck are fine. Small, but fine.
Clarkbar, at the end of the season, could you yank out a small piece of lemon grass for me? I couldn't even find it here at all this yr. Thanks
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Post by sandbar on Jun 17, 2008 12:43:47 GMT -5
We had a late frost here (May 30 frost ... normal last frost is May 15). May was cold with night time temps in the 40s throughout the whole month. Since I didn't have any row cover material, I didn't even start putting plants in until June 1. I finished getting all the peppers in about two weeks ago ... around 150 plants in about 20 different varieties. I just finished getting all the maters in last Friday ... a little under 400 plants in about 90 different varieties. Yes, I am planning to sell a ton (or three) at the local farmer's market ... if they ever reach maturity ...  Still don't have popcorn, melons, squash and pumpkins in the ground. It's been a miserable year weather-wise. I also have to replant some sweet corn (poor germination) and today's project is potting up patio plants (around 20 or so). Lots to do, yet.  |
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Post by Jim on Jun 17, 2008 14:06:51 GMT -5
You got it Lynn, I'll offer mint cuttings too.
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oldgaredneck
gardener
Bring back the rotary phone so we don't have to press "1" for English
Posts: 138
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Post by oldgaredneck on Jun 17, 2008 17:22:17 GMT -5
Damn deer! These damn cloven hooved commandos pulled a midnight (or after) raid on the front garden after we got some rain from a passing thunderstorm which washed away our homemade hot sauce, pee, lemon scented ammonia and fish emulsion concoction.
They "sampled" each and every cowpea, butterbean, watermelon and even some of the tomato plants and then mowed their "Favorites" even with the ground! I am so tired of the wife and I working our asses off to feed deer. The area is fenced and even cross fenced ! Fence does need to be higher, but that is not in the budget. Only two directions I can shoot because of very close neighbors, but I am ready to construct a Gilly suit and go on a "midnight raid" of my own to send some (preferably ALL) of these violating varmints to freezer camp. A shotgun with double aught slugs at close range just might vent some of my frustrations.... even better would be bashing their cute widdle heads with my "Louisville Slugger"!!! I hope all of them get a case of the "screaming squirts"....
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Post by flowerpower on Jun 17, 2008 22:04:08 GMT -5
You got it Lynn, I'll offer mint cuttings too. Naturally, All the peppermint survived just fine. lol Its like the cockroach of the plant world. At least my bean plants didn't take a beating too bad. A few holes and ripped leaves, but they'll recover. I'll salvage what I can of the maters. And there's always volunteers lol |
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Post by Alan on Jun 25, 2008 18:00:45 GMT -5
Been digging potatoes left and right and the cabbage and broccoli is coming along nicely now too, I've cut the first heads of Early Jersey Wakefiled which saw their way to the CSA customers and also to the co-op, I should have plenty to make the trip to the farmers market this Saturday and definetly next saturday. The earliest sweet corn is silking and tassling, the astronomy domine is tassling as we speak. Watermelons (the ones that have survived the cucumber beetles and root maggots) are vining and flowering and the mass cross of green fleshed muskmelons are blooming now. Summer squash is on it's way.
The main things now are harvesting, documenting and taking pics, selling, and also irrigating. For as much rain as we have had here the ground is very dry and some things had been suffering untill today when I made it a point to irrigate for 8 straight hours, so I'm a little wore down as we speak. I imagine now though that I'll have some time here and there to do some more updating and chatting here on the board and also to write some new articles.
I have been online a lot late at night in the past few weeks but have been focusing on finishing up a couple of Novela's that I've been working on for a couple of years, trying to talk myself into growing the balls to actually release them one day, I've also been writing a bit of music here and there that one day might make it into the recording studio, but priority one right now is this farm and the research we do.
We have a big tour coming up on July 10'th. The CSA members and the master gardeners are coming around to check everything out, I'm pretty excited about it and sharing some information with those who seem really interested in what we are doing. I'm also working on getting some chickens from Plantsnoobin as well as from Sand Hill Preservation this fall, I put up a chicken coup over the weekend (made of a greenhouse frame with a heavy duty tarp over it), now I've just got to get some laying boxes and make it over to Karen's house to pick up some Road Island Reds. I'm planing on having several chickens eventually given the local price and popularity of local eggs. Not sure what I'll eventually be going with but I'll start with the Road Island Reds and move from there.
The past few days I've been planting a lot of stuff to make up for things that I've lost to pests over the past few weeks. This farm should be covered with watermelon and squash this year. I've also planted an acre of "Kculi" corn, this is the famous Maize Morado of the Peruvian coast, a powerful and beautiful anti-oxident infused deep violet colored corn of very ancient ancestory, it's pretty rare in the seed trade with J.L. Hudson seedsman being one of the only companies offering seeds to the U.S., I'm about to change that hopefully. After doing some research with feeding the worms this purple corn and seeing the effects and planning on feeding the chickens the same mixture while making observations I'll be writing some articles and distributing the seed. I don't necesarrily know if I'll present it this fall for seed or not, but definetly next fall.
There are also lot's of other new ideas floating around in my head, particularly regarding Hip-Gnosis seed development and some opporotunities that have been presented to us, stuff I'll get into as I learn more and have more time to devote to it.
I wish I could bring all of you to live here on this little farm and work with me on these projects. It truly is an honor to have you guys as friends and co-conspirators!
-Alan
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Post by Alan on Jun 25, 2008 18:03:38 GMT -5
I also forgot to mention that the co-op is supporting our research now and has even posted a link to the first half of the 2008 Agricultural Gimoire at their website which I thought was pretty cool myself, they are also publishing new articles in their newsletter every other month so I'm starting to find some interest in my Journalism and research locally which is nice. I'm also getting ready to submit an article to the Salem Leader and Democrat in Salem Indiana, with any luck it will be published too! Heres the link to the co-op link, it in the bottom right hand corner: www.lostrivercoop.com/community.htm |
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