Garden 2012

The garden for the 2012 season is fully planted, and most things are coming up well. The primary weed appears to be nutsedge again, which we are fine with because this plant is very easy to pull. Some tomatoes already have blossoms. This is despite the fact that most of my tomatoes got many of their outer leaves frozen off after an unexpected frost on their first night in the ground. The only ones that were untouched were the ones I got from Mellow Phone/Good City‘s porch party.

I have so many extra seed potatoes that I also planted them in a ring around the silo, and I have been selling them on Craigslist as well. I sold 16-17 pounds of reds to someone from Frewsburg. I listed them at .50 per pound, but changed $7 and threw in some extra, because this arrangement benefits everyone. They get to grow food, and I get a few dollars and don’t need to dump the potatoes into the compost.

I had to throw in some new sunflower seeds due to an unfortunate tiller accident. Thankfully I still had some heads saved from last year’s crop. I now grow my own variety of sunflowers, ones that grew wild in the place my barn fell after the fire of 2010, so it’s not as if I could go to the store to buy new ones. The Stillwater Valley sunflower is a medium-sized, yellow flowered, stout variety with small, very tasty/sweet seeds.

It looks like we might have to replace some beans, because for some reason we often have a hard time with fungi rotting or damaging the seeds during the initial growth process. Last year we also had a problem with one of the varieties of root rot in the first few weeks. I am giving some additional time for things to sprout before I resort to replacement, though. There are very few squash and cucumbers showing above the surface at this time, but I dug down below the soil before yesterday’s rain and found the seeds swollen but almost dry. That would explain it. Hopefully they start popping up now that the ground has had a good drink.

The hot (high 80s to 90s) days with no appreciable rain for a few weeks takes its toll. It was seriously stressing some of the trees and fruit plants I put in, as well. The currants and gooseberries seemed oblivious, but a couple of the trees needed almost daily watering, having started to abort leaves, and a couple of the rasberries seem to have died despite the babying.

My seedling apricot trees are doing well, having been repotted to 3-gallon containers. I anticipate that they will be ready to go into the ground this fall. I also picked up 5 blueberry bushes that were already producing. I couldn’t resist – at $4 apiece, it was a bargain. They’re potted up, mulched with pine needles and soil acidifier, until I can pick and amend a suitable place in the ground for them.

The radishes will be ready first, followed by things like herbs, lettuce, and kale, and then turnips, beets, and zucchini. The rest follow that – beans, cucumbers, etc. I hope to start selling a few things by the end of June, and maple syrup will also be offered at that time.

We might get to start the haying earlier this year if the weather continues like this. We are having two haywagons rebuilt, and we may rebuild a third on our own. The equipment is home, and is being prepared for work. I’ve ordered a used exhaust manifold for our 1950s Case DC, and that should arrive soon.

The chickens are getting bigger all the time. They are almost completely done feathering out, except for the males – two of them are cockerels, and are just starting to get their ‘roostery’ feathers. Our big red chicken is one of them, and we’ve named him Chanticleer. The other is a silver-laced Wyandotte. As long as the two of them don’t fight much, we’ll keep them both, but if they start to go after each other, Chanticleer is the keeper. His temperament is exceptional.

Orchard Happenings

I purchased and planted 10 gooseberry + currant plants from Mike’s Nursery in Lakewood, NY. There are 2 Pixwell, 2 Poorman, 2 Red Lake, 2 Crandall, and a cross called the Jostaberry. I also mail-ordered bareroot Hinnomaki Red and Tixia gooseberries and Pink Champagne and Blanka currants from Nourse Farms in Massachusetts. This was done after a recommendation from Abers Acres, and also to fill out the row better because it looks pretty short compared to the tree and cane fruit rows. The new ones are supposed to be here within the next day or two and will be planted immediately, weather permitting.

All raspberries and blackberries have been planted (25). 1 appears to have died, but will be left and given a chance to regrow if it is in the cards. If not, it will be replaced at a later date. Another previously thought to have died has recovered since the rain came. The rest all seem vigorous and are sending out new growth. The ‘Jewel’ black raspberries are doing especially well.

I have obtained 6 more grape vines in a mixture of Himrod, Canadice, and Concord. I still have 2 vigorous Red Caco from the last batch, and most of the frosted-off ones (Fredonia and Concord) are also regrowing buds. They are waiting in pots until the time of their planting.

Trees I have put in so far include:
1 Golden Delicious apple (brutally attacked by deer the same night)
2 Empire apples
1 Macintosh apple
1 Jonathan apple
2 North Star tart cherries
2 Lapins sweet cherries

I have 2 italian plums and a 5-in-1 grafted pear that are waiting to go in. I will be getting more in the future, and probably at least a few more this year, but this is a good start. They are fenced with 4-foot chicken wire or welded-wire garden fencing which seems to strongly deter deer, even though the tops of the trees stick out much higher than 4 feet in all cases except the North Stars.

I also have 4 baby apricot trees that are 1 year old, and a new plum just sprouted. These will go into the ground once I raise them for a few more years. If they grow anything like the 4 peach trees I grew from pits, the 1-year-olds will be ready to go into the ground in another year or maybe 2. I have many other pits in the dirt and am waiting to see if any sprout.

The chickens have a wire run now, and they love it. I am waiting until they are closer to being full-sized before I let them out in the lawn proper, but the run gives them a good, safe alternative for now. I did the first full cleaning of their coop a few days ago, adding to my compost pile.

Sunbathing

The garden is disced up and will soon be ready for planting, once finishing touches are put on it and the weather dries up for a few days.