Due to several reasons (excuses?), the weeds got ahead of us this year. I’m talking severely ahead of us! So as the weather has finally cooled down to tolerable, we are spending hours a day hauling, chopping, and otherwise getting rid of weeds! So far, the peppers in the hoop house are the weed-winners, with only an occasional weed popping up. We’ve finally got the tomatoes (all 75 of them!) weeded and heavily mulched with reed canary grass hay (without seeds). I finished doing the cucumber row and the two rows of bush beans yesterday. And I pulled weeds from one carrot row, too. Hopefully, today, while Will is busy putting fence posts in on the west line of our new 40-acre pasture, I can get the carrots finished and start in on the potatoes. They need a hilling, but I’ve got to get the darned weeds pulled first. I need to get them out before the pig weed goes to seed, which it’s threatening to do pretty soon. We don’t need kazillions of little pig weeds next year! YUCK!
Will’s been busy and has gotten the entire west and north lines cleared with the dozer on the new forty acres and the first strand of barbed wire stretched straight from corner to corner. In this way, when he puts in fence posts, they will be perfectly straight, making for a longer lasting, tight fence. Barbed wire has a bad name for cutting up animals. But when it’s put up, at least four strands high, stretched tight on good strong corners, braces, and line posts, it’s very rare to have an animal injured. Most are hurt by getting in loose wire that has sagged because it takes some work and time to make good strong corners which hold the wire tight for years. Having too few wires also causes injuries, as animals try to eat through and under the wires, leaning on them, which makes them sag. Four or five closely spaced, tight wires will make a strong, quite safe fence that will last for years and years with minimal maintenance. We like that. — Jackie
I would be more than happy to share my weeds with you!! They seem to be an epidemic this year with all the heat and humidity! Have a good time listening to nature while you weed!
Your place is so beautiful. Your families hard work is paying off. I live in the desert and just love the green in the photos! It makes me envious. But, last winters photos with all your snow made me glad to be in AZ, too!
Thanks for sharing. You are inspirational.
Hi Jackie, You really and truly must sleep like a baby at night, with all the work that you do…..Today, I canned a dozen jars of Pork loin, and it came out “wicked good”. Tomorrow they will go in my basement, one more step in my ever growing LONG list of to-do things! Yesterday, I dehydrated about 5 pounds of zucchini, into chips, and again, Yummy. My best friend, Donna from California, who told me about you, has given me tons of ideas, as she has been reading your site a lot longer than I. Goodness, I will never catch up…..but, am trying! Love your book Pantry Cookbook, and Prep. and Survival guide. SO much to do, and, you are GREAT teachers! Thanks again!!!
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