Farmer Friday

RATS!!!

Boy this week has gone by fast! Can't believe it's almost the middle of August already! Our weather went from cloudy and almost cool back to blazing hot and dry. A rat ate through one of my sprinkler hoses and I lost some squash plants before I got that situated. Then lost some bean plants because their drip line valve was turned part way off. I have no idea how or when that happened.

sprinkler hose ziptied to fence

I actually got the idea to raise up the sprinkler hose from a really old garden book from the '50s, something about growing roses I think. They raised a sprinkler hose like this up on their fence behind their rose garden. I zip tied this one to the chicken wire around the squash garden and adjusted it to spray down and across the garden. It goes all the way around the fence so the whole area gets good coverage.

a dozen cockerels in their new pen

I did finish the cockerel pen and moved 12 cockerels over to start working compost. They seem to be doing OK so far. They don't have a lot of compost material to with yet, but I'm hoping to be able to haul more manure this coming week.

beans and cucumbers

The cucumbers are trickling in. Despite some of the plants getting crispy there were some beans to pick on Thursday.

Scarlet Kale

Rainbow Chard

 there were greens to pick; Scarlet Kale, Rainbow Chard and Georgia Collards (not pictured). I didn't pick any of the Lancinato Kale (aka Dinosaur) because it's looking a bit puny and some of the plants are anemic. I'm not sure if that bed still has nematodes or some other issue. I will probably spray them with fish and seaweed mix as soon as the weather cools back down. I may also add some blood meal and Dr. Iron and put down some new compost. Those plants aren't that old and kale produces for a long time so I'd like to revive them if I can.

The whole squash harvest

There were cherry tomatoes but I didn't take a picture.  Of course the squash harvest was down,especially in the smaller sizes. This was the harvest.

oops, except this one I found later

Oops except for this one that I found later. 

Hales best cantaloupe, ripe and smells wonderful

And one stray cantaloupe. Perfectly ripe and perfuming the air.  All ready to go to our farmers market in the morning.