We had a few days of extreme heat and humidity. My productivity dropped not just because it was uncomfortable outside, but also because I spent most of my time perseverating about my animals. I always worry a bit about Winnie, my horse – she handles the heat fine, but at 26 years old there is always the concern that dehydration could have amplified effects. However, it was the chickens that received most of my attention. Through their first heat wave, I spent a lot of time refilling ice water, prepping frozen treats (aka scrounging around in the bottom of the chest freezer to unearth bags of freezer-burned eggplant), and staring at them to make sure they were doing okay. Naturally, they were completely fine – if a bit perturbed by the increased attention.
Food Production
The garden is surely becoming the garden of my dreams, and is already by far the best garden I’ve ever tended. That doesn’t mean it’s perfect – I finally attempted to wrangle the tomato plants, which are entirely out of control. If a sucker starts to flower, is it really a sucker anymore? I need to start pruning earlier next year.
I have been eating several cucumbers per day (a delight!) and pick herbs for drying whenever I have the wherewithal. I also harvested the rest of the red potatoes and immediately replanted with some Yukon Golds that had sprouted on my counter. It might be a bit late to plant potatoes, but since my only investment was three grocery store spuds, it seems like a worthwhile gamble.
I prepared a tray of soil blocks for fall kale, arugula, and lettuce. This is my best attempt at succession planting; the first tray was started a couple of weeks ago. All have germinated and are doing well, except for the spinach. I have never had luck starting spinach from seed, but that doesn’t stop me from trying.
While it seems premature to think about October, I ordered garlic from Territorial Seeds – German White and Purple Russian. I will also replant from this year’s harvest. I wish I could remember the variety, but it was the best of several varieties that I planted a few years ago, and of course I did not keep track of each variety’s location.
Aesthetic Utility
I stopped by an estate sale on Saturday and picked up a watering can and a couple of books, but the best find was this beautiful red enamel colander with a cherry design. Did I need another colander? No, but it spoke to me! And a gardener can always use another colander.
I placed an order for lumber to construct a wood shed, and since I was paying the delivery fee anyway, I also added on materials to build beds on the interior perimeter of the garden. The wood shed is of top priority, but the beds are so easy to assemble that I’ve already put together eight of the eventual twelve. They will ultimately hold perennials like herbs, strawberries, and asparagus. There’s no rush to plant anything in them until the fall garlic is in, so I will delay filling them with compost until a few other projects are complete.
Resource Acquisition & Preparedness
I brought in two more loads of firewood. I’m starting to have piles everywhere – the barn racks are at capacity, so I’ve been piling rounds outside near where the wood shed will be. I enjoy the work, but I don’t enjoy feeling like I’ll never be ahead on this particular task. Maybe that will change once the wood shed is in place and stacked to the roof!
Moving Forward
I’m looking forward to getting the wood shed built; that is the last of the three big items on my summer to-do list (in addition to the chicken run and the garden). Of course, there are always other, smaller tasks – spreading wood chips in the garden, finishing the new beds and filling them with compost, and installing fruit bushes next to the garden are all on the to-do list as well. One step at a time.
KC