Market Farming

["Marie Kamphefner" <kampy AT grm.net>]

Thanks for the replies.

Nan, the tomatoes are doing great, which is just amazing to me.  I have
been hauling old hay in and mulching all I can.  I was tempted to move
the plants, but I didn't have any place to put them.  Maybe the soil
down under is good?  We have great black soil with lots of sand in it
and everywhere else, it's soft and easy to work with.  This soil was the
sheep pen for several years and we've just been growing clover and
orchard grass in there.  Haven't been any sheep in there for a couple of
years.

We've been getting good rains - long and soft and about an inch a week.
Most everything is growing well.  The snap peas didn't come up very good
so I'm glad we planted too many.  We've been getting beds prepared, then
it rains and weeds come up and we have to do it again.  That's what
happened here with the tomato patch.

We've been shooting lots of rabbits that want to eat the lettuces.  Wish
we could eat them this time of year.  The potatoes are blooming and the
Mexican beetles are eating the green beans.  We planted sweet corn where
we can see it from the house.  I've got the big rifle loaded and ready.
Mwa ha ha ha ha!

I got 500 asparagus crowns planted single-handedly.  I finally figured
out how to do it without stooping or kneeling and the only tool I had
was a hoe.

There is still a ton of planting to do.  The hoop house is filled to
bursting with seedlings about ready to go.  I am already dreaming of a
90' hoop house for next year.

I am thinking about planting some short clover between the tomato rows
as a living mulch.  I don't want to use buckwheat because of the
tomatoes, but I might put some of that around the edges.

Live and Learn.

Marie in Missouri