Diary 8/12/11

The chickens are settling in ,but they are only giving one egg per day so far.  They almost seem afraid to go into their yard, or as if they forgot it is out there.  I think they just need more time to adjust. Good harvest today with extra goodies planned to can this weekend; pickles, beans, and tomato sauce.  There are enough berries to make another round of jam. also. Meanwhile, the onions are sizing up and the corn looks closer everyday.  We ate our first cantaloupe which was hiding under leaves on the vines.  It was one of the best ever! Garlic is sorted, separating the seed garlic from what I will sell and use.  Not a very big harvest, but some nonetheless.

Diary 7/6/11

The potatoes are blooming.  Each flower cluster is a potato, each flower is an eye on that potato.  Did we talk about this before.  Michael Poulan has lots to say about potatoes in his book, Botany of Desire.  The Irish famine happened because everyone grew the very same potato that became susceptible to blight.  If they had only grown some red potatoes also, they might have fared better. Anyway, we have quite a few growing this year, lots of varieties, so far so good with them.  I see the garlic is slowly turning yellow.  Maybe you can spot the tinge of yellow to the downhill row in the picture. I will check tomorrow whether it gets another shot of water or if it is done. Half of my garlic patch was eaten by squirrels, so hoping the rest is of a good size.