Good morning, the rain this year sure seems scattered and hit or miss. It sure would be nice to have a hurricane remnant to dwell over the area for a few days. There still is a chance since hurricane season goes to November. We did get a tenth of an inch yesterday and was very welcome.
This year instead of small seed beds out in the garden, I sowed the fall veggies in the house. Yesterday I started potting on the tray of seedlings. My light table will be quite full with nearly 200 plants. It will be nice to have fully stocked beds. The outdoor sowings of recent years have not done too well for a number of reasons. Probably the biggest is the harvester ants. Brassica seeds seem to be the perfect size for them to excavate and transport back to the nest. It is interesting to watch the ants after I have “chummed” the chickens, there is a lot of the chicken scratch that is the perfect size for them to carry, and you can see caravan lines of ants packing seeds heading back to their nests. Especially in the hen houses. I throw scratch in the bedding so that chickens mix up their bedding. This helps when I clean out the hen houses to make compost. I remember watching the harvester ants packing mulberry seeds from under the mulberry trees. The chickens have so willingly cleaned the seeds from the fruit. Sometimes I am dismayed with the ants that is until I see some of my resident garden hornytoads. Not seeing my bigger guys only 3 or 4 smaller ones. I like having the hornytoads so I suffer the ants and will more than likely keep sowing the seed in the house. It is amazing to see a seed tray expand from 12 inches X 18 inches up to over 16 square feet. A very nice sight.
I am going to give Brussel sprouts a go this year and with luck they will ripen during our coolest time of the year. Root crops and brassicas have their best flavor at that time. My spring planted parsnips are looking the best I have ever grown. The tops are nearly 2 feet tall. I am hoping that they do not get too huge, but they just might. I look forward to tasting them this winter.
The sweet harvest continues. The first bed is complete and 2 more to go. The next two beds should produce some larger spuds. My butternut harvest is going to be much diminished from years past due too the hail storm that pretty well destroyed the first crop. Such is agriculture. For the first time in a couple years it is beginning to look like I will have tomatoes to freezing weather and maybe beyond. Not going to count that “chicken” until it is in storage.
The blooming of the cucumbers and summer squash has nearly ceased. Not sure exactly why maybe it is due to the weird year that we have been having. It has had its challenges. I am looking towards not having to harvest every day.
So needless to say, the transition towards the next season is on the way. Hopefully it will be smooth and the harvest will continue.
Follows is a list of what I am growing, please email as to availability and prices. Chard, kale, green onions, carrots, lettuce, okra, tomatoes, chilies (several varieties), eggplant, butternut squash, garlic, beets, bulb onions, cucumbers, summer squash, sweet potatoes, snow peas (October?) and beans (new planting for fall, late September?). Also, there is volunteer basil and dill.
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