Dear friends,
I am happy to report that all the transplants made it through the frosty nights in the greenhouse, high tunnel and cold frame. I had put on two layers of row covers on the plants in the high tunnel and layers and layers of covers onto the cold frame as it holds all the tomatoes and peppers to be planted next week.
I am happy to report that all the transplants made it through the frosty nights in the greenhouse, high tunnel and cold frame. I had put on two layers of row covers on the plants in the high tunnel and layers and layers of covers onto the cold frame as it holds all the tomatoes and peppers to be planted next week.
 Lupe harvesting greens |  zucchini ready to go |  cold-frame plants |
This year I got Lupe in her third year and Lauren a new resident to the area from Alaska working with me since early May. It helps to be on schedule and get things in the ground. I am dead tired at night but not stressed to be behind like last year. I had several beds that looked clean from grass and just scuffle-hoed them and seeded into it and there are very little weeds to weed. The method of no till works when you if don't have quack grass in the beds. They are not as fluffy loose as the ones that got tillage and I have to trust that the plant roots make their way down as I get around to set up the irrigation. Wet soil is easier to root down into.
 "all day broad fork" |  grooming out the grass" |
Every week we work two to four grassy beds by deep forking them , then the tractor with the chisel- plow runs through and loosens the soil and then we hack at the grass with "groomers" to get out the whole grass plants. It is very time consuming and hard hoeing work, but it seems to get rid of the grass as opposed to chisel plow, disc (which cuts it into pieces and churns the soil) repeatedly until grass is dead and we never get all the pieces out and then it comes back. All of you friends getting this newsletter that worked here smile and remember your tired backs now.
This year we are more focused on getting the aisles as well so there is no grass to grow back into the beds if they are resting in cover crops. And the terrace edges are getting covered in tarps one by one to reseed them into clover to not have grass in there either. It is a long slow process but I can see results where we followed through for a few years and I hope we can leave the grass behind us at some point. How easy life would be. And we could be no or low till (machines turning and interrupting soil life) which is my motivation.
This year we are more focused on getting the aisles as well so there is no grass to grow back into the beds if they are resting in cover crops. And the terrace edges are getting covered in tarps one by one to reseed them into clover to not have grass in there either. It is a long slow process but I can see results where we followed through for a few years and I hope we can leave the grass behind us at some point. How easy life would be. And we could be no or low till (machines turning and interrupting soil life) which is my motivation.
 broccoli tunnel |  broccoli with irrigation |
We got the first section of the netting tunnel up and planted first broccoli, cauliflower, kale and collards yesterday. We weeded spinach and beets and I am planning to plant second spinach today. Three plantings of Mixed Salad Greens are in and we are starting to sell them through the Coop and Natures Storehouse.
The first peas were munched on and I put the previous onion netting on them I got an apple to set a life trap but someone found it sitting outside the barn and probably ate it. I will get more apples today when I do deliveries. The peas are growing again. I have seen two woodchucks and a bunny around the gardens.
Two rows of potatoes were planted by the Little River Community School kids. They are fast and furious and so much fun. We are trying a new variety Nikola, yellow creamy blight resistant from Germany that is earlier than the beloved Carola potatoes. So it is one row each. Can't wait to taste them. They are sprouted but still below ground which was a good thing with the frost the past two days.
The first peas were munched on and I put the previous onion netting on them I got an apple to set a life trap but someone found it sitting outside the barn and probably ate it. I will get more apples today when I do deliveries. The peas are growing again. I have seen two woodchucks and a bunny around the gardens.
Two rows of potatoes were planted by the Little River Community School kids. They are fast and furious and so much fun. We are trying a new variety Nikola, yellow creamy blight resistant from Germany that is earlier than the beloved Carola potatoes. So it is one row each. Can't wait to taste them. They are sprouted but still below ground which was a good thing with the frost the past two days.
Well, I am off to work, nice talking to you, have a wonderful day, Click HERE for CSA sign up.
peace, Dulli
peace, Dulli
