The Next One: The Farm Report

The Next One
The Farm Report
06-04-2020

I couldn't think of any tricky titles this time, so this blog post is just 'The Next One.'

Annie has been helping me make the shop planter boxes pretty again. She likes gardening - or maybe she just likes supervising me whatever I'm doing. Probably that.

Anyway, we have 10 planter boxes in front of the column posts that hold up the veranda on the shop building. This year, I'm on a total 'no weed!' program. So I spent some time last winter cutting plastic sheets to fit into the concrete boxes. Then I 'burned' 5 holes into each one for the flowers. Super duper hybrid marigolds this year.

If you look carefully, you can see the wire cages surrounding the flowers. They have spikes on the ends of the wires that hold them into the ground - and hold the plastic pinned to the ground too. If you've been following along reading this blog, then you know that if you just turn around and look to your left, there isn't much between the Gulf of Mexico and the shop to stop the winds! For that matter, there isn't much between Barrow, Alaska and the shop to stop the winds from the north, either! It is windy here.

Remember my 'maters in Wall-O-Water heaters on Herrick Kimball's tarp garden? I've never had tomatoes do this well this early, ever.

Before

After!

On May 29, I pulled the WOW heaters and put the 'maters into their support cages for the summer. May the 29th! Some of these are almost 3-feet high and have flowers on 'em. One, Carola's Paul Robeson, from Germany, even has little marble sized tomatoes already!

The peppers set out directly into the frames seem to be in heaven.

The strawberry rebuilding project is coming along great, but I had spaces open. What to do? Well, I also had some head lettuce plugs needing a home. So...why not? I just 'plugged' them into the hydroponic spots and wished 'em luck. Annie thinks it is too hot to work inside the greenhouse now, but she feels obligated to supervise me where ever I am. "Tim! Pick up the pace buddy. Let's get finished with these plants and get the heck out of  here before I die from heat stroke!"

Well, in fairness, it is hot in there now. My goal is to put shade cloth over the greenhouse by the first of June every year. I just about made it. 'How do you get it over the plastic tunnel,' you ask?

Use a spud! Ok, so those darned non-sprouting spuds have me on edge, and I have a low opinion of them. But anything can be good for something, right? I just tied a good heavy 'tater onto the end of a string tied to the shade cloth and hurled it over the top.

You thought I was kiddin' didn't you. I even notched the old Murphy so the twine could get a good grip.

A nice generous 1, 2, 3, and over the hill she goes! Walk around to the other side and see what you've got. Bingo!

A little judicious tugging, and over the top comes the shade tarps. I use 3 smaller ones instead of one large one. Why? Well, let me count the reasons: One, 3 little ones are a lot cheaper than one big one.  (We could stop right there!) Two, three little ones are a lot easier to pull than one big one; especially if you're an old guy working home alone in quarantine and not wanting to call the neighbors. And other excuses.

A little straightening, a little twine to bind, and Bob's Your Uncle as they say. That old Farmall H sitting there still runs. It was my Dad's. I need to use it more, but.... All is well, and getting hot out here! Be kind to each other, be patient, be tolerant too. Unless of course you run into some ignorant rascal that desperately needs the stuffing choked out of him so he'll understand what you're thinking and why he or she should be thinking the way you do if he or she knew what was good for 'em!  OOOPS. Replay: Be kind to each other. I mean it. We're all in this together.