Day of Rest

Got a new roll of film developed and thought I'd post some pics for you. There are the Fall seed crop rows planted on 4th of July weekend (White Egg and Gilfeather turnips, Green Wave mustard, Cilantro, St. Valery carrots, Bulls Blood Beets, Italian parsley, Bouquet dill, Forellynschuss lettuce, and lots of Provider green beans. Next to this is a pic of the melon patch under cover. The next row is a close up of some pole beans (Rattlesnake, Cherokee Trail of Tears, Scarlet Runner, etc.) and the beans that will be sold as dry beans (Vermont Cranberry, Soldier, Calypso, Dragon's tongue, Jacob's Cattle, Indian Woman Yellow). Next are pics of the pole bean tepees and other veggies (curly endive and Buttercrunch lettuce, dill, Detroit Red beets, Stuttgart onions, Champion collards, Copenhagen Market cabbage) and lastly a view of the potato section where I have Katahdin and Irish Cobbler growing. I am at war with Colorado Potato Beetles.

Yesterday was a beautiful day at the farmers market. It was not as crowded as last week and we didn't have as many vendors, but it was great to have customers come back to say how good the Green Arrow peas were that they bought last week and did I have more? I sold most of the bushel and a half I had, and all but one of my Copenhagen Market cabbages. One old timer bought all the Boston Pickling cukes -- those are just starting to come on. I sold all the dill I bunched; I trim the dill so you get good fronds in a bunch. Basil doesn't seem to go over too well up here, but that's ok because when there are any herbs left over I dry and bag them for winter. Didn't sell much Italian parsley either. All but three of the summer squash and zucchini sold, and I sold most of the Forellynschuss lettuce. That is such a pretty leaf lettuce! This coming week I should have a few more cabbages, but unless the Provider beans come on, I will have a dearth of produce as everything else is still flowering. I need to work on my succession planting.

The deer got into the cucumbers so I am waiting for my Deer Off to come from www.planetnatural.com and I can spray them and the tomatoes. I should get that tomorrow. Still, the garden is looking good despite getting less than 1.5 inches of rain for this entire season. Hauling all that water appears to be paying off, but I do think a strong factor is the heavy overnight condensation we have had all season. The cooler nights may also be why everything is so slow in coming. The okra and eggplants look good in the high tunnel the possibility of actually getting four kinds of melons (Moon and Stars, Charentais, Green Nutmeg, and Hannah's Choice (my only hybrid) makes my mouth water. The bees have found everything and I love hearing them buzz around me. Now if only the seeds planted for fall come on. . . .

I hope you enjoy the new garden pics; in some of them you can see the difference from mid-June to the last week of July. Note how brown the grass is -- that's a June picture.

Last of all here's a note for Bill: all of the Christmas catalogs and most of the spring/summer catalogs were snapped up by customers this week. I think the rest will go this coming week. I hope you get some orders.