Why is it that the best weather of a 3-day weekend arrives after 4:30 pm on the final day? Nevertheless it was an excellent weekend to move ahead with garden tasks, dodging drizzles and rain. Although we don’t have the exceptionally fine weather that blessed our initial project one year ago, we celebrated by seeding the first phase of summer veggies. As various CG members filtered into town from their various journeys, different tasks were done, depending on who showed up and when.
With the air and soil temperatures being nearly equal at 70°F we seeded various squash, melon, and cucumber cultivars, corn, and basil. (Check out our 2010 planting list here.) One minute it was threatening rain, the next a few light rays of sun peaking through the clouds to make one want to don shorts; but wait 5 minutes, and the sun is gone. Do I need another shirt again? Yes. Wait, now I’m too warm. It came down to rolling up the jeans and a t-shirt.
Taking a stroll through the house yard to check on tomato seedlings keeping warm in their little greenhouse, my mouth dropped as I spied a group of deer pellets on some grass. Never in my residency here has one come this far into the yard! We decided to grab netting and place it over the cool weather crops immediately. He hadn’t managed to sample anything yet. (I think it’s the same young male who visited solo last year.) While tying out cloth strips soaked in Irish Spring soap solution on various young fruit trees and roses, I did notice some rose tips “nipped in the bud”.
Here is an update to the final harvest tally of our 2009 plantings, contributed to by our overwintering kale and leeks, which were removed in May for more garden prep:
- Kale: 10 (pounds)
- Leeks: 3.25
Bringing our 2009 grand total to……592 pounds!
As we celebrate our first birthday we have a new 2010 tally, from harvesting the thinnings of early spring plantings during April and May:
- Beet greens: 1.5 pounds
- Kale: 2.5
- Lettuce blends: 7.5
- Spinach: 2
Total: 12.75 pounds Off to a great start!
High Vibe Bounty 