Sunday, July 26, 2009

Update

Changes along the driveway: Chard and Kale are abundantly growing. Please cut extra any time. A knife is in a plastic container nailed to a fencepost there. Late cabbages, broccoli and cauliflower are mostly in west of the chard and kale. Most of the early broccoli is pulled out and fed to chickens, pigs and cows.

Tomato plants are growing taller and finally setting some fruit. We've had tomatoes for CSA by early July in every other year. Plants were put in as early this year, but just are slow to set fruit, and then ripen. We are still picking about a quart every 2-3 days, not nearly enough for us or you all!

Sweet peppers and hot peppers are setting fruit. I think having so many bee hives on the land has improved the pollination of our veggie flowers, leading to increased production.

The beans are coming on strong. Late pole beans are planted where the peas were pulled out. Provider is the variety we are picking now. Masai (a small filet bean) have baby beans, and grenoble is the late main crop, about 6 inches tall now.

When you drive by the upper garden by the big oak tree, look at the baby eggplants on the plants there. Look further west and you will see the summer squashes, with the yellow fruit visible from the driveway. We have about 6 different plantings of summer squashes to keep a steady production till frost.

The home garden has gone through a lot of changes. You will see a lot of plants harvested and ground worked up, new lettuces transplanted and planted from seed. New kohlrabis, carrots, beets are in. New small cabbages are ready to transplant.

If you take the time to drive east on Loop Road, you will see the Putney garden- just past the old house. Potatoes are being dug, onions harvested, garlic is all harvested and hanging to cure, leeks are almost ready to begin harvesting, sweet potatoes are sending out their runners. The squash and melons are growing. The sweet corn is to the northeast corner of that far field, with the front part planted to green manure for soil improvement. The early corn variety - Spring Treat - is tasseling, which means corn will be ready in about 3 weeks!

Now, if I can only get out with the camera to take you on a photo tour, too!

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