While it looked like a hot, dry summer weeks ago, when temps were in the high 80s, the last two weeks have brought rain. Lately, it’s been every day. Boy, is it hard to get stuff planted, especially out on the new north garden, where the soil is minimally improved white clay. It sticks to our feet when we walk and soon our boots are carrying pounds that refuse to be shaken or scraped off! Luckily, just before the rains got serious, Will got in with the tractor and planted 3 different varieties of pumpkins and squash; 12 rows each, with 30-foot spaces between, 100 feet long. I’ve hand-planted dozens of hills of pumpkins and squash so far but still have many more to go and it’s almost getting too late to plant. After all, we often get our fall frosts mid-September … or earlier.
In the house, I’ve started many different rare and heirloom beans (folks have sent some to us and we have bought some from various places across the country) that are long-season maturing beans. Some will go in the hoop house while others will be planted outside on each end, hopefully absorbing some heat from the structure. Others will go on our stock panel trellises in the garden.
Meanwhile, Will built a rack for our new solar array and while friends Mike and Dara were here to help, we put it up. We’re really excited as it will increase our charging capability from 100 watts to over 1,000 watts. Huge improvement. We’re waiting now for the combiner box and the cables Will ordered. I can’t wait to have the thing hooked up to our battery bank!
The weather radio forecasted scattered frosts after midnight for tomorrow night. And we have 107 unprotected tomato plants out in the garden. They’re too big for hot caps and too tender to throw plastic over. So we’re going to use thin slices of hay off square bales to make tipis over each one. After the frost danger has passed, we’ll use the hay as mulch around the plants. We harvest our own reed canary grass which is seed- and weed-free so we don’t plant a hayfield in our garden. Been there; done that! Luckily, none of our other crops are up yet except for some onions which don’t mind frost. Homesteading is never easy but the challenges make it exciting for sure. — Jackie
Thanks, Jackie for the words of encouragement and the “alternative” suggestions. Some possibilities that may be worth looking into –if the lottery win doesn’t pan out (grin!)
Howard,
Whew! Aren’t “surprises” fun though!! I’m so glad you checked the thermometer! Hopefully this will be both of our last frosts.
DonnaB,
Amen!!! Have faith, though. Even folks with little cash can often find alternative “deals” such as renting to buy, contract for deed, etc. on fixer uppers. I have several times during my homesteading trail.
Coincidence we had frost last night in my area of the Copper Basin, Alaska. Entirely not forecast so it’s a good thing I check the thermometer every time I wake at night. Our forty eight tomatoes , summer and winter squash and hanging baskets of cucumbers are all in the green house and two hoop houses. I got my heaters started in the hoop houses just in time as the thermometer just hit freezing as I got the last one going. The green beans will be ready to transplant into the hoop house next week. Many of the tomatoes are flowering including the ones from seed I bought from you.
Weather is always the biggest challenge, it seems. Jackie, you and Will are so creative. I’m sure those plants will survive with your help.
I’m learning so much from you both. Now I just need to have an opportunity to buy some land in the country and fulfill my homesteading dream. Land is so expensive these days it seems and unfortunately, my father and uncle sold off the land they inherited from their parents. Said they didn’t ever see themselves going back farming and were just paying property taxes on it. (Where is that lottery win when you need it?)
My very wise grandmother, who passed away last year at the age of 101 always told them, keep the home quarter and keep the house, the well and the garden area maintained because you never know when you may need to live there for survival. She was right! A lot of folks are struggling with high housing costs, high food costs, and just plain high costs of living. They (and me!) would give anything to be able to live self-reliantly on the land.
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