Diary 9/7

Change in the weather due today.  It already attempted to sprinkle.  Second turning of the compost pile.  Adding water as it was still dry inside.  The cooler temps will slow the reaction down, but internally it will still keep decaying.  Radishes planted on Saturday are up already.  The spinach babies are enjoying this cooler time, and although production will fall off for a few days, so am I!

Diary 9/6

Happy Labor Day!  Oh, here are some laborers, now.  The team from Hermiston works on fall garden beds and some areas for over winter spinach and carrots.  Almost finished WWOOF(World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) hosting for this year.  Have had 9 different wwoofers here since May. I get some help and in return I think they learn something about farming while they are here.  I take that pretty seriously. They certainly get in a little better shape, and the food couldn't be fresher! 

Diary 9/5

Wild Zinnias, wild with color!

Diary 9/4

Cooler day.  Planted some cauliflower starts, cabbage starts, radish, napa cabbage and bok choi seed. Cooling way down tomorrow.  Digger squirrel #33 finds a new home.  Blanching tomatoes to can and make sauce.

Diary 9/3

A part of today's harvest

Hot day, tired farmer.  Labor Day weekend has little meaning, but I hope to pick wild blackberries and make cobbler and jam as a "fun" activity.  Sleeping in also sounds like fun to me; a sign of my age, I suppose.  Party Hardy everyone else, and I will rest.  Summer is over?!xxx?

Diary 9/2

Harvest tomorrow will include these beans.  I have one more outdoor succession and then back into the greenhouse for a couple rounds of green beans before it is too wet and everything gets black spot and the season comes to an end.  Cool weather in the forecast for the end of the holiday.  It may only be in the 60's here on Monday and it was well over 90 today.  I will batten down the hatches and cancel bags for next Friday in case there is no reproduction with so much cold.  If the tomatoes do come through with a flush despite the cold, then I will get some more canned for us!

Diary 9/1

Worked over the compost pile. Thought it best to get on with it before the cold weather sets in and we can't get it finished. The idea is to follow a 14 day plan with turning every third day or so. This speedy method really can produce the best compost because nothing leaches away. The usual problem here is not enough moisture to get it to work; create a bacterial reaction that causes the pile to heat up to temperatures close to 150 degrees. True compost must retain these high temperatures to kill toxins, weed seeds, and promote microorganisms. By turning every third day, new air is introduced and the pile heats up each time. After only a couple weeks, everything is broken down and the pile cools down and is stable. The Nitrogen is no longer too strong, but bond up in organic matter. It is amazing how clean smelling the rotten mess becomes!