The girls and I continue on here, expecting our own thunderstorm, which we would appreciate the rain because the ground is beginning to look too dry for the spring crops. As I stand and watch the ground dry out after being almost too wet a few days ago, I am seeing the truth in what I am learning about cover cropping and no till. After they cut the ground and planted the crops all around my garden area, it began to dry out almost immediately, except where the ground has a good ground cover of straw left from last year. Everything else has turned to a hard surface.
Perhaps I should have turned the straw all under this year and started with the cover cropping/ no till approach next year with a bit more planning but I am impatient. I don’t think it will set us back much in production. And aside from not wanting to turn up the thistle mess again, I also did not want to reapply that half of semi load of straw.
Having introduced that thought (backwards and rather affected by Lyme Brain, as we call it in our house), we have gotten much more of our garden planted. There is still much unseeded ground but the spring is not over yet! The wind blew like a storm all day yesterday but we didn’t get any rain so I went out to plop a few more plants into the ground and I am hoping when I return to check on them that the bunnies will not have munched them all down. In the middle of getting this job done, Mid Kid (who has been feeling less than good) wandered out in the stormy wind and sunshine to see if she could do anything helpful other than sit like a bump in the house. So as I dug the hole she dropped the plants in their pockets and covered them up. Then before I knew it the oldest daughter came out with her box of onion sets and put onions around the winter squash seeds I had just planted. While this does not sound like a lot, when one is working 80 ft rows it takes time and the smallest of help is appreciated.
Then Mid-kid decided that she felt well enough to plant the rest of the potatoes. After some discussion, we decided to just go ahead and plant them in one of the beds that we made last fall. The other bed that I planted like this is beginning to show forth sprouts and I am more than pleased with what I am seeing.
We have one of our rows of beans coming up! Yeah! This is the market row, and will be the first beans of the season. Some years I can’t pick enough for the market table…and other years, I can’t sell enough…It just depends on the year.
Then the eldest daughter and I decided to plant some calla lily bulbs that were given to us. Mom loves flowers so we thought we would try these in front of the barn by her garage door. After we got through planting them, I bemoaned the fact that the ground for some reason is always dry there and I am going to have to water them an awful lot--Along with everything else I water every day. And right now that includes my little seedling rows.
It is imperative to keep carrot and beet rows damp or they will not germinate well…so inch by inch, I go out and water them every day (unless it rains). Along with the wee little beets and carrots is the wee little grass shoots and eventually life will find me seated out on the ground separating the grass from the seedlings. These are two of my best sellers and worth the effort, not to mention they are some of our favorites.
Well, after all of the work, we came in and ate and called it day. About 10 pm I got a phone calling saying Mom was on the floor, she was okay but couldn’t get up. The dreaded someone is on the floor thing! Earlier in the evening her legs gave out on her and I was afraid that this second incident was due to her legs giving out…
The youngest daughter who is the brawn of the girls quickly got ready to go out. Along with Mid-kid and myself, we went out not knowing what to expect. There sat Grandma on the floor next to the toilet, she missed her hand hold and went down. It has been a LONG while since she has taken a tumble (several years). Brawn reached down and picked her up with Mid-Kid and I getting in the way. Mom seemed okay and toddled out to get her ice cream bar and seemed in good cheer when we left for the evening.