The weekend before last was a whirlwind of activity for the crew at Twisted Fencepost.
The holiday weekends always involve parties and get togethers of some sort for us.
And this past weekend was just as busy.
It is nice to be included and invited to all the fun, but can be overwhelming at times.
Sometimes it leaves me scrambling to catch up.
I am not complaining and I would not change any of it.
We only live once, eh?
But this explains why I didn’t have a garden report for you last Monday.
I know that some of you look forward to it and I apologize for it’s absense.
Sometimes life gets just too interesting to stop, gather my thoughts and get them typed out here.
So in order to catch you up a little this report is a little long.
The garden is planted with the exception of the things I plant at later dates.
Say, corn, for instance.
I plan to plant two rows and in two weeks I plant two more rows and so on, up until the time it’s too late to plant.
I will do the same with green onions.
Atleast that’s my plans.
That way it keeps fresh corn coming in with none (hopefully) going to waste.
I haven’t had much luck with corn here on the farm for unknown reasons.
But I am just as persistant as the bugs who are determined to eat their way through my garden.
Or the deer who like to nibble the tender corn shoots.
And the rabbits who like to eat my cantelope just as soon as it ripens.
This year will be a challenge because of my attending school full time and our busy schedule.
Weekly invites to parties, ceremonies, spur of the moment road trips and balloon events keep us hopping.
So I am learning to take every shortcut I can find.
Like using grass clippings to keep the weeds down in the garden.
Even though the grass clippings’ biggest job is keeping the weeds down, it has other benefits.
It holds the moisture in the ground and keeps the plant roots cool during these hot dry summers we have here in the southeast.
And as the grass decays it provides natural compost and nitrogen to the soil.
It may seem like extra work….
collecting the grass clippings
moving them to and spreading them on the garden.
But when you consider that it cuts back on the weeding time in the garden it is very much worth it.
I have been participating in Blind Pig and the Acorn’s, Planting by the Signs Test again this year.
We are hoping to have better luck than last year.
Last year we planted corn.
Mine did not even sprout.
So I was of no help at all with the test.
But this year we have planted Yellow Crooked Neck Squash seeds that were supplied by Hometown Seeds.
And here’s my report so far…..
I planted five squash seeds on May 17, 2010, of which three sprouted through the soil on the 22nd. Five days after they were planted.
I planted five squash seeds on May 20, 2010, of which three sprouted through the soil on the 25th. Five days after they were planted.
So at this point they are growing at the same rate just three days apart.
The test is to see which of them produces more fruit (squash).
I will keep you informed of their progress.
And thanks, Tipper, for giving me a second chance to prove our ancestors right!
That’s it for this week.
Twisted Fencepost 