Update as of evening May 9 - the rain yesterday evening has given the pea plants about 2 inches since yesterday evening. As well as the path weeds, grass, and mosquitoes...
Hey All:
Hey All:
May 24 is for gardeners.
Several folks have inquired as to how the weather has been
for the farm of late. My answer (as
always) is that it always helps and hinders no matter if it is dry, raining
steadily, 27 or +2 degrees.
In the case of the past few weeks, the dry, hot weather
has been great for weed suppression. By
lightly cultivating beds scheduled to receive seeds or transplants in the next
few weeks, I have knocked out the three flushes of weeds that one can expect. If these beds do not have the soil surface
disturbed too deeply, these beds will be largely weed free while they produce
two weeks’ worth of Arugula or a summers worth of Chard.
On the other hand, the dry, hot, and sunny weather has
been challenging for freshly seeded beds, sprouting seeds, and transplanting.
Finally, some cloud-cover and rain have arrived. This is ideal for transplanting the mature
Peppers, Tomatoes, and Lettuce; and for seeding Potatoes, Radishes, the first
round of beans, and the second round of greens such as Arugula and Spinach and
the third and fourth rounds of Carrots.
I’ve been watching the forecast for just this pattern
of weather. I have also expected that at
some point that temperatures might fall back to “normal”, and possibly
lower. My expectations have borne out
with the forecast of +2 weather this coming weekend.
All day yesterday, I was debating the Pepper and Tomato
transplant conundrum. Should I delay
until the nightly lows pick up again? On
the other hand, do I risk missing this cool damp pattern and subject plants to
the stress of being transplanted in blazing sun?
There is a Ukrainian folk saying – “The morning is
wiser than the evening”. As I woke today
and checked the weather, the answer was quite clear to me. It was based on several factors, including my
experience at Elmtree Farm. I will write
more about my final decision in the next post.
In the meantime, I am curious about what you might
do. Send your thoughts.
A few other notes…there is room for one or two more
shares, though I need to know very soon or you will miss out on some of the
early produce (I only seed for what I know I need plus 10-15% in case of losses
or poor germination).
The Snow Peas look like they are coming along quite
well. The Carrots seem to be taking
their time. I saw my first Fennel sprouting
yesterday. The Bulb Onions are upset
that they are still in the nursery – I will have to plant more short season
ones to make up for some losses.
The
seed potatoes were picked up from Ellenberger Farm (more on this in the next
post or two). The Tree Swallows have returned,
and so have the gnats. My old nemesis
from my gardening days, the fluffy tailed tree rat, has started showing an unhealthy
interest in the barn.
By the way, the free offer for the Green Zebra Tomato starts are for paid customers only. Others are welcome to purchase them for $5.00 apiece. Quantities are limited.
By the way, the free offer for the Green Zebra Tomato starts are for paid customers only. Others are welcome to purchase them for $5.00 apiece. Quantities are limited.
Much more news on the way provided I have time to
write.
Talk to you soon,
Bob
Garlic Update:
Photo by Randy two weeks ago:
Photo by Randy this past Monday:
Look into the middle distance - all of the other varieties are catching up to the Fish Lake variety. The straw is now being used for water retention, and to a lesser extent, weed suppression.