Sun, Apr 30, 2006 · Filed under Spring, Veggies
Notice those lovely, hazy green lines. The first signs of direct seeded crops is always on your mind. You can’t cultivate the soil for weeds until you know where your veggies are. If germination is slow—because of cool weather, dry conditions, or both—the weeds can easily get ahead of you before you’ve seen anything at all.
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Sat, Apr 29, 2006 · Filed under Gear, Spring
No April showers to speak of this year means it’s irrigation time already. Sprinklers aren’t anywhere near efficient, but they cover a lot of area quickly. This makes them a labor-saving choice for germination and tiny seedlings, where frequent but light watering is required in dry weather.
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Fri, Apr 28, 2006 · Filed under Gear, Pests & Disease, Spring
The Scare-Eyes ball seems to work on birds and, from what I’ve seen, cows. I use it for beans, a favorite bird target. A lot of scientific-sounding info comes with each ball. The shapes and mylar circles are supposed to look like predatory birds to other birds. They come in three colors, which you’re supposed to rotate every three weeks, with six balls minimum to an acre. There’s been only the one yellow one for the last couple of years, but this year, I got three more: yellow, black and white… Better safe than picked to pieces by BIRDS!
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Thu, Apr 27, 2006 · Filed under Spring, Veggies
Peas planted in early April finally poking up. These are Sugar Ann snap peas, you can eat the pod and all.
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Wed, Apr 26, 2006 · Filed under Spring, Veggies
Fall-planted White Music garlic, living it up!
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Tue, Apr 25, 2006 · Filed under Spring, The Farm, Weather
When it’s raining, you wait for the sun. After a few days of sun, you look out for some rain. Cloudy and dry isn’t much good for growing, but it’s perfect for working in the field, ideal for transplanting, and better for germinating seeds as long as it’s also warm. Windy isn’t helpful: even in a stiff breeze, sprinklers are way less efficient and steady wind will dry out the soil, and plants, faster than anything. Then again, air movement moderates temperature, spreads pollen, and generally keeps things moving. So you kind of need it all…
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Mon, Apr 24, 2006 · Filed under Spring, Veggies
A small load of seed potatoes just delivered off a very large truck! 350lbs of Norland, Yukon Gold, Gold Rush, Purple Chief. (The boxes holding the bags are from Holland, not the potatoes.)
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Sun, Apr 23, 2006 · Filed under Gear, Spring, Weather
The jumbo rain gauge is something to keep an eye on. Once in a while, that little red disc floats upwards, and then, you’re looking for the magic 25 (millimeters, that is, a nice inch of rain).
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Sat, Apr 22, 2006 · Filed under Spring, The Farm, Weather
Gotta clean up and fix that fence.
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