South wall: comfrey, tomatoes, fig trees (saplings),
onion, strawberries, nasturtiums, eggplant. The sticks are
for beans, which are just now finding them.
The awnings are burlap bags suspended from laths.
As some of you may know, I came down with a nasty infection and was bedridden for a bit while the miracle drugs did their thing. Doctors think there may also be a kidney stone involved. Daughter and Young Man looked in on me with Youngest Son, then a few days later, when I had a relapse, Son spent the night again, showing me one of his favorite anime series,
Planetes, on a small TV at the foot of my bed. By then I was getting better, so I rose up and fed him a pancake breakfast and we chatted over coffee for a good two hours. Nice. I sent him away with clean laundry, a bag of fresh peas, and a loaf of bread.
"What's in it?"
"Kale, garlic, oats, whole wheat, spelt, rye; that sort of thing."
"Awesome!"
Hey, it's lovely to have a 25-year-old who says your bread is awesome! He may even think so ...
Where was Beloved all this time, you ask?
Wisconsin.
Family stuff.
She's missed the whole thing, as usual, the gad-about.
Ah, blessed rain. It's not coming down in sheets, like the stuff my eastern friends are contending with (I would read their blogs, but I'm afraid I might get soaked), but just right for cutting my farm work day in half and looking into a few other things for a bit.
I'm resting right now from the mowing, mulching, top dressing, tomato tying, and harvesting that went on before the rains settled in. And, if I admit it, from the illness. I'm able to do these things but at a sedate pace. When I'm flat on my back like this, I grab the laptop and plop it on my belly, to blog or upload or check the latest from
Sharon or
Greenpa or whomever. If I didn't have a computer, though, I'd get by.
There's umm, reading.
Or just watching my toes wiggle down there at the other end of me.
And out of the corner of my eye, through the window, I see the yearling deer going by, along the fence. Aha, one of them discloses he is not a doe. He has those Bambi bumps above his eyebrows.
So serious looking.
And in the foreground, the eternal chicken races; hen in front, Chanticleer huffing along, gaining steadily from behind. Yeesh, get a
room!
South wall: comfrey, tomatoes, fig trees (saplings),
onion, strawberries, nasturtiums, eggplant. The sticks are
for beans, which are just now finding them.
The awnings are burlap bags suspended from laths.
Ah risa, I'm jealous of your rain. Ours, as you wrote, is just too much, and this being the first day of summer. My bush tomato plants are lying down in their beds, truly like they're asleep, but I can't run out with the drill to attach the supports for fear of getting electrocuted. We hold a watch by the window: the moment it stops...
ReplyDeleteFeel better!
Could you build a tripod over each plant and trellis it up one of the legs -- then maybe no holes necessary? Or if they are all in a row, stretch a pole between two tripos and run the tomatoes up strings? Like working with beans ...
ReplyDeletethe pole on the tripods idea sounds great. That way I can use materials from the rest of our property. Thanks, risa, I'm off to do some scavenging in the rain.
ReplyDeleterisa, I love how you make the most out of every little space. We used to have squash growing up the side of a previous house. Here we have everything mixed together, herbs, flowers and vegs. Maybe it confuses some of the would be garden pests.
ReplyDeleteHope you are feeling better.
Health is the most important thing as we age. Its has been in the high 90's here with the index well over 100. The herbs wilt even with lots of water. I walk very early and late to avoid the direct sun. Please take care and have the doctor check things.
ReplyDeleteLisa
@Maine; more than half this place is going to waste, mostly lack of labor time and insufficient water to do what we want, plus a funky lil' creek transects the cattycorners. Yes, mixing mixes up bugs, the plants compete less, shade helps some (lettuce waits longer to bolt) and putting beans everywhere means your cover crop and nitrogen fixer are where they are needed now, not just the off year. I have heard it called "polyculture" and I am sold on it! We haven't tilled for this garden at all and the soil is better, not worse. The worms are having a field day.
ReplyDelete@lisa; I had to wear a coat yesterday afternoon when I mowed pasture for the geese. But it's warm enough for things to grow well, and I'm going slow enough (i'm hoping) to get well, and under the doctor's eye as well. About done with the Sulfam.
Thank you!
Your bread DOES sound awesome!
ReplyDelete@Katrien - I'll take any rain you don't want. Triple digit temps here all week, and bone-dry. I fear the garden may be breathing its last gasp until, uh, October or so. Hopefully I'm wrong and it will rally.
Hah! Tried to do one of those Amish Friendship thingies and even the chickens berated me for it!
ReplyDelete