Cucurbit, from Cucurbitaceae, is a useful word! How else would you refer to the large squash-and-melon family that includes winter squash like acorn and butternut, summer squash like zucchini, pumpkins, gourds, melons (cantaloupe, watermelon, and so on), cucumbers, even the … Read the rest
Yay, spinach! Seeing direct seeded crops germinate is one of the most satisfying things in the field. Here, it’s spinach, Reflect variety, seeded a few days ago, coming up nicely. In general, seeds do germinate, that’s a good starting point. … Read the rest
Mainly cloudy seems to be the theme of this stretch of weather. It’s been about a week of mostly overcast and grey, with some rain here and there. The forecast calls for at least a week more of the same. … Read the rest
The Big Beef tomatoes on the left look so much bigger, healthier, greener, than the ones right, and they were planted a couple of weeks later. Both are in the same sized plug sheets. Both get the same time under … Read the rest
“Pop” isn’t the most elegant, poetic word, but that’s what I thought the first time I noticed how plants can suddenly shoot up overnight. It’s feels like magic, especially when you’ve been obsessively focused practically hour by hour on their … Read the rest
Another cloudy day. The garlic is still the only thing to see as far as crops in the field. It’s looking quite happy and healthy. That’s good!… Read the rest
Today was rained out. Too wet to do fieldwork. A few hours of heavy clouds and on-and-off rain followed by brief periods of semi-blue skies, followed by more clouds and rain. The free irrigation is excellent, as I’ve already started … Read the rest