Jeffrey Quick's Blog

Farm report

I've been taking some time off from work, getting things straightened around at home..and totally ignoring the outside world...hence the paucity of political rants here of late. But I need to post something. I have friends (and you know who you are) who add something to their LiveJournal page once a month whether it needs it or not. This is not the way to build readership.

This has been my best growing year yet. Things aren't drowning like last year, I'm moving the soil in the direction I want, and I'm getting a clue on what I'm doing. It's being a bit droughty, but my soil is tolerant of that, and it's easier to put water in than to take it out, even if one then has to worry about whether the well will hold out. What I'm really seeing is that, for most people, the idea that "when the shit hits the fan, I'll grow my own food" is a delusion. It takes awhile to get a system going and to even begin to get the necessary skills. The most important skill is to pay attention. It's been hard to do that on top of work and all (and composing has suffered), but I'm on top of things more than I have been.

Fruit is doing fine. The summer apple tree is overloaded...yes, I really should thin, and maybe prop up one branch. Asian pear and grapes have fruit for the first time. Blueberries are loaded. Strawberries need renewal.

So far, there are no disasters in the garden...well, germination was spotty on sweet corn, mouse melons and mangels. But it looks like my first successful cauliflower and kohlrabi. Broccoli is bearing and is beautiful, tomatoes nice and stocky, eggplant coming along. I planted melons and sweet potatoes in black plastic, so we'll see how they do.

Critters? Egg production from the old girls is off, but they'll get help soon. We have two roosters, who are a bit importunate. Joe is relatively gentle about it. He's our oldest surviving fowl, saved from the ax because I was not convinced he was male. "If that's a rooter, he's gay." Which is why we named him after one of my wife's gay (former) friends. Well, he wasn't gay, just a late bloomer. Obama, in contrast, is no hen's favorite, and isn't too suave about taking what he wants. Hey, he's a teenager...we don't even think his sister is laying yet. the ducks are incredibly consistent layers, but it seems that Rusty is allergic to their eggs. Rabbit production is haphazard, because I didn't keep records and had a surprise delivery, something I've changed since. We killed 2 the other day, and there were at least 2 more that needed it, but Rusty is convinced they are pregnant, even though neither of us have bred them. She was convinced of that 2 weeks ago; I suppose we'll have to wait out a whole 31-day cycle before she's convinced that the Savior of Bunnykind will not be born of a virgin. She swears up and down that it isn't sex but alcohol that makes babies, proof being that she was drunk when she conceived hers.

we've been laying in a bunch of wood, thanks to Rusty's old neighbor in Niles who had some trees chopped down. Since Rusty has been unemployed, she's had time to keep the yard spiffed up. I've been playing with fencing and last night I hung an 8' gate I'd repainted. the pole moved in the ground though, so it wasn't a successful operation. Next project will probably be to rebuild my little wagon (de-rust, paint, rebuild deck).

And it's now 6:30, and I really should get to work out there.