Diary 8/31

Granddaughter #1, though not a regular at the farm, has came by her intent watering skills genetically. Notice how she carefully cradles the flower she is watering. Her grama is so proud!

Diary 8/30

Showers and at times a real rain. Unusual for this time of year, but nice break and easy irrigating for me! The cover crop has survived on these occassional rains. The Sudan grass has responded well to drought and occassional watering. Lots of organic matter to be tilled in soon, again moisture will be nice and less dust for the tiller.

Diary 8/29

Berries, berries everywhere. Blackberries, raspberries, elderberries, and huckleberries. The berry season is upon us!

Diary 8/28

Cool and cloudy, it feels like Fall. Nice reprieve after a busy week. A farm visit with neighbors makes me appreciate my efforts more fully. Good afternoon to can the surplus tomatoes from yesterday, and maybe make some strawberry jam, too.

Diary 8/27

Only 12 bags out today, but next week is shaping up to be a big one with Labor Day orders and fishing trips to provide for. Hope the weather and the production are up to it. Oh, and me, too. New helpers coming on Sunday. Weeding to do on Monday, and then harvesting for the next few days. Two more months and then I get a break from the intensity. Can't look forward to it, yet. Lots of raspberries, winter squash, and the corn in my future.

The Onion Mobile

Diary 8/26

David, the chef, is leaving us tomorrow. Enough learning where food comes from, now to find a job to pay his student loans. French toast for breakfast, makes a great start to a good day. Lucky me! Weeding harvesting, and a good breakfast! Worked on getting the last onions to the house. Well, not the last onions, but the last of the organized beds of onions. There are still a few rows here and there. The golf cart we purchased from Criagslist has been a good harvest mobile. Cleaned up the end of the top greenhouse, harvested everything ready there and put a sprinkler on it. Despite cool weather ahead, the whole end seemed so dry and forlorn with a dose of spider mites on the middle melons.

Diary 8/25

19 bags went out to folks. Record heat some places and tied it here, with big cool down forcast for tomorrow. Looking forward to harvesting the rest of the Valencia onions and tearing out some beans and cucumbers to make room for more fall crops. Lots of winter squash set. Good food for the babies in my life as well as bag folks and over the winter. Usually, I just grow Delicata, the peanut striped squash. It has smooth texture and they are a reasonable size. This year I planted Butter Cup, Butter Nut, and Acorn, too. We have a few hills of small pumpkins as well.

Diary 8/24

Tomatoes and cucumbers have been here for a few weeks now, so what's ahead? Other than the next crop of raspberries and fall crops like spinach, I still have some summer treats that will ripen soon. They include Crimson Sweet watermelon. Large, red, and so sweet, Crimson Sweet proves you can grow a "real" watermelon in Oregon. There are so many figs on the trees, when they are ready it is going to be scary. Good thing my daughter gave me a great fig recipe book! Also, the few plums on the Starking Delicious plum tree which we call the "Back to School" plum will be ready soon. There are usually some on the tree every year. Last, but definitely not least, the strawberries have so many set and coming, I hope I can stay up with them!!!

Diary 8/23

Hot and getting hotter. Started out the day at 42 degrees and then the temperature rose to 92. That's 50 degrees of change! Tomorrow is supposed to be 100 and maybe even hotter the next day like 105. Get this, though, on Thursday, only 85! That would be a 20 degree change in one day. No wonder I have some weird shaped cucumbers. Everything else looks great despite the swings. Lots of tomatoes and cantaloupes ripening between morning and afternoon. Strawberries are tasty when not over-watered which is challenging because they can look kinda sad in the middle of the day. Broccoli secondary shoots are almost as big as the first head.

"Radiator Charlie's Mortgage Lifter" Tomato

Diary 8/21

Worked on harvesting the rest of the Red Torpedo onions this morning. Also began taking the Valencia onions out. They are very hard and a pretty orange skin, thus the name. I think they are going to hold well. Went on a huckleberry search this afternoon. There were some everywhere we looked, just not bunches anywhere. It looked as if folks had already picked along the roads. The further you hiked away, the more there were. Cool up at 4500 feet, though, and lots of bow hunters camping here and there. Checking waters this afternoon, I realized I might be sorry I planted this pumpkin in the greenhouse. Ah well, it is very happy as it takes over...

Diary 8/20

This summer is zooming by so quickly. We are almost to Labor Day, and I feel like we just got started. 13 bags out today and everyone received a cantaloupe. That is quite a deal from my little farm. Happy to be able to share. The ones we have eaten were scrumptious, so I hope the melons in today's bags are the same for my grab bag folks. The corn had some aphids and only a couple lady bugs. I shoed the ladybugs away and sprayed a liquid diatomeceous spray on the aphid areas. Need to check the effect this evening. Cool weekend and a little transplating and checking on the hucleberries ahead.

Diary 8/19

You don't get that much done with a ten month old in tow. I had forgotten that! Grandaughter was more than eager to help, but I wasn't sure just how much dirt she should eat in one day. She certainly consumed more soil today than in her entire life to this point. We(she and I ) did get a bed of carrots thinned and washed and tops off. I didn't think I should encourage plastic bag use, so she didn't help on the next step. I am slightly amazed we managed that much today. She would be happy if I would just let her attack the rainbird sprinkler, but again, how wet should I really let her get?

Diary 8/18

After bag delivery today, I had a chance to go on a pontoon boat on Lost Creek Lake. The lake is the second longest manmade lake in the U.S. for what that is worth. I have never thought that highly of the lake, I am ashamed to say, just a resevoir behind a gigantic dam. After today's view however, I feel differently.

Diary for 8/17

Big storm hit as I was headed out of Medford. There were dark swirling clouds, heavy cross winds, and leaves and birds buffeted here and there. A few lightning strikes by us, and one report of a fire, but we also had .o5 inches of rain that helped. The valley saw quite a bit more rain and even hail which I am thankful we did not. Hail can really shred squash and corn plants at this point in their growth. Watching as the first crop of raspberries on the old canes finishes up and the new canes are forming a huge crop to pick in a few weeks...

Dairy 8/16

Yesterday morning upon arising, I was met by a very dark cloudy sky. Within the hour in sprinkled and then rained, a very welcome change and unusual for Southern Oregon in August. We received just under .1 of an inch of rain(not much in centimetres). It was all great except that the red torpedo onions were in their final drying mode and I didn't really want them wet. So, we did an emergency harvest and now have all the onnes with bend stem indicating they are finished cleaned up and staged here and there to dry.

I have loved flowers that fade,
Within whose magic tents
Rich hues have marriage made
With sweet unmemoried scents.
Robert Bridges
(1844-1930)

Diary 8/14

Mellow day though hot for most of it. Back to work, cleaning up beds and planting with some starts that have been waiting for me to get to them; lettuce, cabbages, and kohlrabi. Have some parsnips that are doing well, and planted a fall crop of them. First time for parnips for me. STRETCH MARKS!!!

Diary 8/13

Healthy harvest for bags, long on tomatoes and strawberries with green beans, basil, and cucmbers also. Our first melon which we will each in the morning. Notice how it "slipps its stem" in that the stem separates from the melon when the cantaloupe is ready. I like that. A ripe melon is a true sign of summer to me. Hot weekend ahead. Watering like crazy to catch and make things happy.

Diary 8/12

Tore out some spider mite infested beans this morning. It was sad, but I feel the best thing to do. Growing things in a greenhouse has many advantages, but it is an unnatural environment, so once in awhile, that perfect environment invites insects in an unnatural way. In this case, the dry air made for nice strong beans early, but spider mites were very happy to have the dry climate also. Also removed broccoli plants that were old and only making small heads. I have others I am harvesting and new ones on their way for fall. Harvest tomorrow with some junior help.

Diary 8/11

So this is the last day of vacation for awhile. Back to reality with 5 bags tomorrow ansd 13 on Friday. Has been a good reprieve. Pink hat fishergirl with a giant fish and her mother who "doesn't fish" with her trophy catch were part of the day's success. Ducks in duck weed, an invasive species only in the corner of the lake so far, but could become a problem at some point. Barbeque fish, fresh dug fried potatoes, and vegetables with ranch for dinner. Maybe s'mores if we can stay up that late!

Diary 8/9

Relaxing with relatives, harvesting tomatoes and strawberries for a visit from a fire crew who just finished fighting the Rooster Rock Fire in Sisters, Oregon, and more fishing!!! Nice summery weather, not too too hot, but good time for watermelon. Our first honey dews look like they are getting their yellow spotsand we have full size cantaloupe. Oh boy!

Diary 8/8

I have heard that the some damsel flies only live for 14 hours. That makes "love at first sight" not only a romantic notion, but a necessity.

Diary 8/7

Diamond Lake fun today. Hot and a few too many mosquitos...

Diary 8/6

Strawberry picking, weeding, and maybe catching some fish on tap for today. It was super hot yesterday, but supposed to cool down some over the next few days. I hope so. Hard to work past 11:00 in the morning and it didn't cool down until late yesterday. Garden looks good, though, as onions and potatoes continue to come out and new carrots, beans, and greens go in.

Diary 8/5

Put up another cow fence today. Circled the area the cows would come to first if they came that way. Hard to say with cows, but basically they have been walking up the roads, so that is my best bet. Have two awesome guys helping for the next few days. They have showed me that I have been wrongly prejudice as they are very helpful on all fronts. We have had two versions of aioli(sp?), mayonnaise made with oil, egg yolk, and garlic with a bit of lemon. Both were delicious on potatoes and even on green beans. They kicked butt in cleaning the aisles of the lower green house with the help of neighbor, Alan. I can see where I am walking and don't have to reach across randomness to pick cherry tomatoes. Life is good.

Diary 8/4

What a day. Sometimes I think I am getting too old for this. I definitely feel picking those 2 flats of strawberries this morning, followed by organizing the 20 bags, two senior orders, and a big order for a fly fishing business. What a way to make a living!!! Anyway, everyone got an awesome bag with onions, a walla walla and a red torpedo,a cucumber or two, squash for some, cabbage for others, 2 lbs tomatoes, raspberries, and strawberries. The bags today made up for any skinny ones of late. The picture is one of the two grape tomatoes I planted. i don't know why I thought they would be any different from other indeterminate tomato vines like a basic cherry tomato or yellow pear. Thank goodness I only planted the two as they prepare to go crazy. They are sweet, though.

Diary 8/3

Well, here it is, my first electric fence. Well, actually there is no electricity yet, but don't tell the open range cows that! Working on fixing up some old solar fence chargers. The electricity is made from solar energy passed to a battery which makes the white tape "hot" through wire mesh it is made of. The tape is held away from the fiberglass posts with these screw on holders. It went together pretty quickly, especially with the extra aid of the new helper from France, but pretty it is not. The other garden will gets its fence on Thursday. Busy harvest for 22 tomorrow. At least there is lots of tomatoes and berries.

Diary 8/2

Visit from range cows, an archaic program, but a reality here in my garden. I am forced to put up electric fence tomorrow. Electricity is one of the few things cows DO respect. It creates areas to weed, gates to open, and an ugly white tape outline, but the alternative of watching my stuff get eaten or having cow poop in the garden is worse, so fence tomorrow before it is too late. New helper comes tonight, so I hope he likes to put fence up! Got a side job over the weekend with this avid gardener. He makes his grambo proud.