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  • From: SALTMINES@aol.com
  • To: Livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Cc: TheStarNav@aol.com
  • Subject: [Livingontheland] Season update
  • Date: Mon, 2 Jul 2007 08:00:08 EDT

Interesting things happening in our garden: the direct seeded tomatoes have almost caught up to the two bought plants and are the most vigorous I've ever seen. Successive radish crops are perking along really well and grace our table everyday. Newly set strawberries are extremely healthy, beans (blue lake bush, black turtle, taylor dwarf and lima fordhook bush) are just beginning to set pods.  All other plantings seem to be doing well: yellow squash, cucumber (bush) turnips, cantaloupes, pumpkins, watermelon, gourds, carrots. 
 
Our main field under cultivation (about 3/4 acre) is planted with corn. The plan is to use this corn (mixed with wood pellets) to heat house and shop. Last year we bought two tons of corn (at $180 each) and it really worked well to extend the wood pellets we burn. If I can't get the corn dried or exchanged at the co-op for dried corn, it will be a fabulous banquet for the deer and other wild life here.  Last winter was especially hard on the wild animals; our small trees and bushes took direct hits: what the deer didn't want the rabbits worked hard at leveling.
 
Our 'garden' is about 20 x 50 feet set in one side of the main cornfield.  It consists of 10 five foot strips with planks in between, each strip divided in two five foot lengths.  The planks were piled on the property when we bought here in 2004 and my guess is they were used for the same purpose before we got here.  Am using matted clods from the light plowing as mulch and it is working really well, keeping the ground moist for various plants. 
 
Beans and various melon plants are planted between several rows of corn around the entire field and it's interesting to note that the bean plants nearest the river wetlands are 'pruned' with great regularity, deer tracks evident.
 
Especially fun for us: I threw a couple quarts of Mammoth Sunflower seeds (with a little  corn seed) into my ancient Black Hawk planter and circled the field.  The race is on between corn and sunflowers!  Am hoping for a rich sunflower harvest, to have enough seed for a sunflower field next year, as well as for roasting.
 
Stephen (Western Michigan)  




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  • [Livingontheland] Season update, SALTMINES, 07/02/2007

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