4th of July

… and my corn, happily, beat the old saying by a long shot. They say you should shoot to have it knee high by the 4th of July. Well, mine is around chest-height in some spots, but all of it is over my waist. It is thriving in the hot weather, and now that we got a good soaking from a ‘gentle’ thunderstorm last night, I am sure it will shoot up even more.

The tomatoes are approaching 5 feet in height and vining profusely. Some are so heavy already that they are already close to knocking over their cages, so we will probably have to do like last year and make a framework for them to lay on.

Radishes are all ready, and lettuce is getting there. Herbs are getting ready as well. It won’t be long for zucchini, as they are in flower. It won’t be long for early tomatoes either. They are loading up with green fruits in huge clusters of 8. I can’t wait to see what they look like when they ripen.

The Wyandotte rooster has been named Sigurd. He has started to crow, but doesn’t know the whole song. He sings ‘Ca CAAA caa’ instead. :] So far, he gets along with Chanticleer for the most part, but he seems to be getting really out of control and rough with the girls so he may end up in a stewpot yet. I hope he improves – he is a pretty boy and would be great for producing more chicks.

It’s been overall dry and very hot here. Some things are loving it, like the peppers, but others (beets, carrots) are despising it and are struggling. Hopefully it all evens out in the end.

Some more young trees have sprouted from pits. There’s a plum and 3 more peach trees now! The big trees we put in have taken some bad deer damage but are still holding on. Hopefully they can establish and come back next year for some good growth.

Our fields have been fully cut. The biggest customers are satisfied, but we don’t have enough for the last ones, so we have had to find fields in other nearby locations to cut and bale. Good problems, I guess.

I project that I can start roadside sales in another 2 weeks if all continues as it is. Might be sooner, might be later, but I think that that is close to what should be expected.

Chicks! (Part II)

Those little buggers in the previous post look a lot different now, and they’re still growing… fast!

and they really love kale.

REALLY.

Which is fine with me, because it’s the one vegetable that was hardy enough to survive the entire winter with no protection whatsoever, and can be harvested fresh and given to them as a treat a few times a week. They go nuts – the little gal in the above photo will even run up to me now.