We were very dry — some seeds planted two weeks ago haven’t even sprouted in gardens where watering is very difficult, and we aren’t doing it yet. So, you can imagine how elated we were when over an inch and half of rain was forecast and headed our way. Well, we did get rain. But, phooey! We only got about half an inch, total, over four days. It sure helped but we really can use four times that, easily. Maybe later this week? The good news is that the carrots I planted in the Main Garden are coming up. I figured them for a loss as Will had moved the furrower on the Earthway seeder down, instead of up, like I asked him to. Carrots are small seeds. Thus, they only should be planted about ½ inch deep, at the most. These were planted about 2 inches or better. I don’t know why, but they’re coming up nicely. How they found the sun, I’ll never know!
One of our best apple trees in the orchard is having a really hard time; part of the top is dying off. The cause? Several big (now) trees, just over the fence from it. They not only shade the tree but also suck up nutrients and moisture the poor tree needs. So, today, Will decided to cut them down. Bad news: the trees lean toward the orchard, tree, and fence. Will worked a rope over the biggest branch of the biggest pine and I backed the ATV so he could fasten a rope to it. He notched it on “my” side, while I put a strain on the rope. Then, he went to the back side and cut the trunk while I pulled with the four-wheeler. The tree came down nicely. Yes, I was safely out of reach! He repeated the process with the second tree. And now the poor Norland apple will survive and, hopefully, put on new growth.
I’ve been watching the pollinators around our gardens. And, we have a bunch, from bumblebees to smaller flies and mason bees. Around all of our gardens there are flowering plants, from dogbane to clover. Not only do the bees love them but so do the hundreds of butterflies. We have a lot of monarchs this year, which makes us really happy. I hope we see caterpillars!
— Jackie
Think I would have been using the tractor rather than a four wheeler to pull on that tree.
If the tree would have fallen the other way, I could see a ‘Wiley Coyote’ slingshot moment happening.
Mike
I’m sorry to about the lack of rain. For everyone! We’ve been getting rain, as in thunderstorms, generally every 2 or 3 days here. Hard rain mostly. Even had a little tornado in the county. Something really unusual for Idaho. We’ve had a cooler than normal summer so far. Temperatures mostly in the 60s during the day and down to the 30s at night. Hard for a lot of plants to thrive like that.
Jackie, can I mail a paper rewrite of the order from your catalog to you? One my cats “helped” by tearing up the order page. Usually she’s a really good girl. But paper is one of her favorite play things if she finds it. Funny, she’s 16 and still doing this nonsense. I’m grateful I still have her. Take care.
great job on the downing of the trees! kinda touchy with that tilt! carrots!! i ve planted(1/2″ depth) 3 times this year, keep moist but only sporadic sprouts? same with my dil. hmmm? peas have doubled their productivity this year! as all gardening; some years good, some not so. sorry for the family whose older buddies have gone. our 17 year barn kitty has left us.
life on the farm, better than life not on a farm.
take care an happy gardening
Mary
That’s tough about your carrots and dill. You’re right though. Some years are good, others not so. Just because. Last year I planted carrots 3 times. The third time, they came up fine. Then Will tilled them under by mistake! Stuff happens.
will tilled them?! i guess that ll happen :)!
I’m so thankful for the rain. The last week we have gotten much needed rain and I am so glad for it. Seeds haven’t sprouted here yet either. But I’m hopeful they will now with this last week of rain. My peppers are still in my green house. I’m hoping to get them out this weekend. It’s late but they were small!
It seems like this is going to be one of those weird growing years. All we can do is hang in there and pray.
Beautiful butterfly!
You guys are so resourceful getting that tree down without hurting anything!
I have a fraction of the gardens you guys have and I’m exhausted! How do you do it all!!
How is Hondo and Sarge doing? You’re probably too busy to even think about them LOL.
Oh no. Sarge and Hondo are family. They’re with us daily, going here and there, sniffing interesting things and watching us work. We just keep plugging away and somehow things get done. Mostly!
I’d gladly send you some rain if I could, we’ve had at least 3 inches in the last week and there’s more to come. I’m just glad the plants aren’t dying from some fungus or another. The geese are pretty happy about the whole rain thing though.
I was hoping the carrot seeds I planted would come up, but it’s really spotty, even with all the rain. I have more luck starting carrots by sprouting the seeds on paper towel then transferring them to a big planting tray with about 100 small, but deep, plant “pots”. When the tops are about 2 inches tall I pop them out and put them in the garden. I still try planting seeds directly into the raised beds, but I just can’t seem to get as good a crop. I do the same thing starting beets and also mangels for the livestock. Reduces or eliminates thinning, too.
The secred with carrots and beets is planting only 1/2″ deep, in moist soil, then keeping it moist until they come up. Frequently, folks plant these seeds and the tiny roots dry up as they germinate, resulting in nothing coming up.
Just wanted you to know we have had your Provider Bush snap beans for supper the last 2 nights. The best green beans I have ever had!!! They are so big, I am eating them like french fries.
I need to plant more milkweed (Monarchs) and other pollinator friendly plants in my yard proper. Lots of native plants but the Monarchs need help. Part of the acreage we bought will be left for wildlife – hopefully some beehives if I can take advantage of the “system” (our county is, to be blunt, somewhat stupid).
Watching the weather forecast is like buying lottery tickets. Rain predicted over 4th of July days as of this morning, not seeing it now. I did hope for no rain for the big fireworks show on the 4th (next generations keeping grandpa’s work going and they are shot over a big river for safety). We’ll see how soon the second cutting of hay happens.
Air quality has been AWFUL – if the Canadian fires were due to carelessness or intentional, I hope the perps are identified and prosecuted. Between that and big pharma, wrecking havoc on my Dad. And limiting our outside chores too.
Plants are determined to survive – be it edibles, weeds, or beneficial. Otherwise we’d have nothing. Your carrots might be the super strain of the future. Though the GMO corn that looks far too healthy despite our shortage of moisture kind of worries me.
Been a sad 30 days for our families – two elderly pets went to the Rainbow Bridge. Down to one of the “old guard”, the other three went in 2020, 2022, early 2023. The next generation (all from shelters or dumped strays) will do their best to fill the paws.
So sorry to hear about your loss. I know how you feel. A few years ago, we lost three of our elderly horses in the same spring, only weeks apart. They were with us for over 25 years so were family.
Our air was so bad yesterday that my eyes burned all day! Whew. I think those fires were mostly caused by lightning strikes, not people. Most are in very wild areas, which is why fighting them is pretty much impossible.
We’re getting some soft rain and I hope it lasts. It’s taken some of our sweet corn 3 weeks to germinate as it couldn’t be watered. Will checked today and it’s just starting. Whew! I thought I’d have to replant.
You only really need to plant one milkweed, next year your entire yard will be filled with them. Ask me how I know.
I “get” it VT Farm Wife but I’m in a fairly wooded area so I’d need to plant more than one to ensure some make it. I remember there we so many milkweed (and cattails) when I was young. Then the railroad started on their pesticide parade which killed so many plants and made Mom put a kabosh on picking the abundant black raspberries along the tracks. The tracks are no longer in use so maybe I’ll take a walk to see if any plants recovered – that is after the air quality improves. In all my years of living in the same area (over 60 years), it has *never* been this bad. Kind of stinks that the major polluters no longer pollute yet wildfires from another country affect our air (not blaming Canada by any means).
Both kids had to make their first “call” to euthanize this past year. Told both of them that while it is the right thing to do as a responsible animal owner, it doesn’t make it any easier. All of our pets needed a home (strays, from shelters, owner who couldn’t keep them), we gave them a very good life. But the time comes when the good life was no longer in our hands.
I hate, hate, hate having to make the decision to put a beloved pet down. We’ve had a ton of cats in addition to farm animals, and I’ve only had to make that call once, but it still bothers me. All our cats were strays or dumps and they’ve all been terrific house animals – we don’t let them out on account of the coyotes.
Most of our property is wooded, but we have a couple of open acres. I planted three or four milkweed plants several years ago, kind of on the edge of the woods and they were lovely. The following spring milkweeds popped up everywhere, even far from the original plants. I’ve never needed to plant another one. ;)
We’ve got tons of wild blackberries around and I pick them every summer for jam, but I’m real careful to make a lot of noise beforehand to let the bear/s know I’m about. The last thing I want is for a bear to pop out of the blackberries right in front of me. The new bear, probably one of last year’s cubs, has been wandering around our barn lately and it makes me a little nervous. At first he ran away as soon as he’d hear me, now he’s more like “meh, so what”, which I don’t like at all.
Comments are closed.