3rd week of June 2008
This week has been pleasantly cooler again which greatly helps in the motivation to attack the weeds. Little by little many sections of the garden are looking under control and hopefully both the mulch and the plant canopy will hinder future weed infestation. And those areas we haven't gotten to yet, I just say we're testing the value of lambs quarter and pigweed as cover crops. As some beds of salad greens are harvested we're spreading compost and planting a second set of crops - celery went into one bed, basil and herbs into another, a few more flowers in one and I'm looking for spaces to squeeze in the rest of the fall cabbage and broccoli. Beans and zucchini are blooming and we're still watching those green tomatoes and waiting for signs of red. One place we're seeing red is in the trees with an excellent cherry crop coming for this year. We also have several trees of yellow sweet cherries that are very delicious. So the children are spending their "snack time" in the trees and we hope to put plenty into the freezer for winter treats.
Our riding mower is having mechanical difficulties so we are forced to use the push mower or let our truly "free range" lambs help keep the grass in order. Sheep were the lawn mowers of long ago and may not be a bad thing to go back to as long as they stay out of my garden. Or perhaps it's time I take some of my own advice to "Stop mowing and start growing" and till more lawn into garden space. And I may be needing that extra garden space since I've been getting several calls from new customers for produce lately and am even putting folks on a waiting list for weekly veggie baskets. Some have been reading the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, we suspect the recent tomato scare and other recalls may play a part and perhaps more people are just becoming more aware about eating intentionally. In response, we are considering plowing up another section of pasture and planting a cover crop to prepare it for garden space for next year.
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