It’s All Planted!

Garden News

Finally, it’s all planted: tomatoes, lettuces, mizuna, collard greens, mustard greens, green beans, kale, potatoes, onions, peppers, beets, turnips, carrots (purple, red, white, yellow, orange and different shades of all), bok choy (failed already--will try again in the fall), Asian eggplant, edamame, cucumbers three types, melons, sweet corn, kohlrabi, squash (summer and winter varieties), okra, old hickory white corn, pumpkins, multi-colored bell peppers, and, of course, an assortment of hot chilis. 

Keep in mind that this is basically a two-person operation and one old rototiller, and this seems to be a large field or I should say fields. I think we planted about 250 tomato plants and 50 plus chilis and peppers. Plus, most of it is on black plastic stretched over raised beds. This is in itself is a herculean undertaking by a fellow that is way more grasshopper-oriented than ant-oriented (referencing Aesop’s fables). Well, anyway, that part is done until we plant the fall garden later this summer and the continued succession planting of the green beans. Did I mention we’re doing four types of green beans? Time to move on to phase two--weeding!!! Ah, but remember I took the extra effort during the cooler weather to build raised beds with black plastic over the top. This cuts down on hoeing considerable, just run the tiller between rows and you’re weeding is done. Whew!

Chicken News

Over on the chicken front--Sherry is calling herself the crazy chicken lady and has been keeping very busy with the new poultry. We have moved them into the little oak barn, you know the one, and have put up the electric fence around it, not to keep the chickens in so much as to keep the other chicken-thieving, murdering sons-o-guns out. It has worked well so far, except on the hawks. We’ve only lost a total of two. The fence does a great job on Dachshunds, too. Ouch! We are thankful for the fence because keeping livestock here is nearly impossible without it to keep them safe.

Meanwhile, the Quail scheme continues to move forward. The quail are growing at an astounding pace now. No wonder they eat and drink so much--they are little, growing dynamos. They have most of their feathers and have more than doubled in size. I had doubts of their maturing and laying eggs at seven weeks of age, but no longer. I have never seen anything transform so quickly. I will definitely do the brooding of the little buggers differently next time, though. They will be on wire floor in a bigger brooder and in a barn. If I had just a couple Corturnix quail or just button quail this would be fine, but sixty plus is too many for the brooder box system set up as I have it now. Keeping them outside, even as babies, would be a plus, too. Boy, for little bitty things, they sure do reek!

Lastly, no farm is complete without the mowing and maintenance. I take care of the mowing, with a little help from a hired hand with proper mobile mowing equipment. Sherry takes care of the flower gardening and landscaping. Wow--makes me sleepy just typing about it. So that’s what’s happening at Gunter’s Gourmet Gardens this week.

I’m through talk’n now. --Matt