Summer spinach
Spinach in August is never a sure thing. Germination in the summer’s heat is a roll of the dice. Keep seeding, over and over, every few days, and the odds of catching the right conditions go up. When a seeding … Read the rest
Mike (tfb)
Early look at a new season
An unusual absence of snow in this early look at the field. The end of the compost pile poking into the photo is color-coordinated with the spring browns of all the dead vegetation. Center and right, a good amount of … Read the rest
Cherry toms and pandemic
It’s mid-August, the heights of summer, and the cherry tomatoes are doing their thing. I wonder if there’s an endless interconnectedness between all plants, a real, tangible networking, as with cellphones or the internet, and if there is (seems to … Read the rest
When to cover
Some crops need to be covered and some crops don’t. It would be excellent if all the vegetables in the garden could bask in the sun together, like a picture-perfect postcard. Which would be possible if it weren’t for pests, … Read the rest
Late season harvest
Looking pretty good for the end of October. Classic cool-season crops include leaf lettuce, pointy cabbage, bok choi and kale. Plus, the summer-loving sweet peppers are still hanging in.… Read the rest
Fieldwork, tiny farm style
A simple snapshot of hand-weeding brassicas, and yet, a wealth of clues to how tiny farming is done in this market garden. Upfront, can see the weeding before-and-after: give them a few short days, and those weeds would easily catch … Read the rest
A bushel of Music
A bushel of Music garlic: The bulbs were significantly smaller than expected, for no reason I could point to, but the fine, strong flavor is fully there. Still plenty of time for planting, going by the 14-day weather forecast… Cause … Read the rest