As some of our beans and corn did not germinate right, or, in some cases, at all, I’ve been replanting like mad — in between rain showers. Yesterday I also planted a big row of Amazing cauliflower and Umpqua broccoli. The only trouble was that the soil is partly heavy clay. So, because of the rain, my feet got bigger and bigger as I walked down the rows, planting plants. I had to stop three times to scrape the clay buildup off my shoes. Ugh! But they’re in and looking good.
Today, our friend, Sherri, came to help weed. She and Will weeded the row of pole beans where the Folsom Indian Ruin and Monte Gusto beans were planted, along with Iroquois. I followed them, planting in seeds where there were empty spots. One thing was weird. When I hoed in a row, I dug up a ball of roots. On closer look, it was a Folsom bean, sprouting like a potato! Holy cow! I carefully planted it back in the row but marveled at the different way it sprouted than other beans. With most, it’s a root and shoot. Period. This looked just like a tiny potato!
Sherri and Will got a couple of rows weeded and looking great while I replanted half of a Six Nation Iroquois row. The first part germinated perfectly. The second half, not at all. Strange things are happening this year! Now they’re working at weeding and mulching the two hoop houses while I’m trying to plant some more pole beans in the Sand Garden. I got rained out but will try again in a few minutes. One thing is that with the rain, our peonies are looking fantastic this year! Happy weekend!
— Jackie
The peonies are beautiful. One of my favorite flowers in the spring. Mine didn’t do as well as I would have expected this year, but I enjoyed the ones that were there. I pulled the last of the second bunch of radishes and the last few turnip-not enough to can, just for table use. I had some red and white potatoes given to me this early spring that someone got from a food truck. They were sprouting and I thought, what the heck, so I planted them. The tops had pretty much died back and I have been getting some little rains so I decided to dig them. I was shocked. Such a good yield and all it cost was some elbow grease. My late husband would have been surprised. I had about a five gallon bucket total and will certainly plant again. Truthfully, I initially figured,”Jackie would do it”. 😁 So I continue to be encouraged by you.
I’m so glad!! We once were given a couple sacks of seed potatoes from the feed store, in early July. Our pigs sure wouldn’t want those sprouted, wrinkled things so I planted them on the Fourth of July, thinking maybe I could can some small potatoes. Well, come harvest, we didn’t have baby potatoes. They were huge!! We dug 500 pounds from those throw-away potatoes. You never know.
We have clay soil too, it often forms a crust that tender sprouts can’t break through. One of our friends said when planting seeds she makes her furrow, puts in the seeds then covers them with potting soil. It seemed to help me with the places I had to reseed this year.
Yes, that sure will work. If you’re not planting 5 acres by hand and are nearing 80.
That’s for sure, it is a small garden hint. The size of your gardens is jaw dropping! God Bless you for the inspiration you give everyone.
We have been getting quite a lot of rain lately. Tornado warnings, thunderstorm warnings, the works. My garden is very weedy and I have had to replant beets twice and still very poor germination. Same with carrots. The squash is doing well and I see some blooms, so I should have zucchini and summer squash soon. The tomatoes are doing well as are the cucumbers. Hopefully I will be able to get weeds under control, but we are to get rain tonight and tomorrow and are under a flood watch. Last year was so dry and this year is wet. There is no happy medium, lol. Sending prayers for a blessed week.
Thank you! So far, this month, we’re getting moderate weather. Not too hot, not too cold, not too dry, not too rainy. It sure makes the weeds happy!! I hope you skip the tornadoes and severe storms. I’ll add that to our prayer list.
Got my first picking of peas! Was surprised as so little bloom but been soaker hose and the few really came in nice. I too found some strange erupting bean sprouts when replanting 2/3” plants then nothing so started replanting only to kick up the strange sprouting very weird year for too many of us I bet you and I could start a garden plot with the clay stuck to our feet! Glad you’re getting rain We re going into high 90 for a spell Peonies are beautiful!
I think I could start a garden with the dirt in my house!! Nineties are too hot for me. But we sure can’t choose.
I’m done replanting – mine was due to coons I think. I was at war with the voles and have temporarily won using mousetraps with peanut butter. Critter problems this year. The tomato, broccoli and celery seeds from you are doing great. We had homegrown cherry pie and tonight strawberry pie. Limited yield on both. It’s seems to me that I experience good yields followed by poor yields. In the good years we freeze the abundance. Now, I too am busy with the weeds. Hopefully we are done with the clean up from wind damage. Soon more days of rain and indoor projects.
Yes, the gardens and orchards do seem to give abundance, then take a break. That’s why we can up all we are able on those good years. Just in case. We’re not looking for the zombie apocalypse, just a bad growing year.
Glad you got the vole problem solved. I sure hate them!!
I have one potato plant that has died off already. I’m going to dig it up tomorrow – I see no signs of potato beetles or any other bugs. It is a strange year, I’ll agree. We’d hoped on getting the asparagus patch “de-weeded” last weekend but the tree service showing up bumped it. Which is okay – large branches growing in the direction of structures took priority.
That is the one thing about weeds, they certainly don’t go anywhere. But I do need to pop a few zuke seeds in the ground as the plants we had became dinner for wildlife. The drought conditions should be over as we’ve caught up on rain.
Yep, we’re getting rain, although not a lot, nearly every day now. That’s nice for the garden plants and will sure get the seeds germinating fast. However, it’s miserable, trying to work in the North and parts of the Wolf Gardens as they have a lot of white clay.
I don’t think I’ll ever get my asparagus beds weeded. However, they seem to tolerate weeds better than a lot of garden plants. I have a hard enough time trying to get it cut to eat and can! I wish I were triplets!
OMG, the asparagus beds are the absolute worst. I think they actually attract weeds.
Around here, the most annoying weed is horsetail and it pops up everywhere – I swear it would come up through concrete. I’ve given up trying to eradicate it and now just try to keep it tamed so it doesn’t take over completely.
I think most of us wish we had at least a clone/twin.
I will be ordering our preferred Pontiac Red seed potatoes next year. I think what we planted *will* be okay, it is not (so far) what we are used to for “new” potatoes.
I’m still fighting better half’s “asparagus grows wild on fence lines” experiment. I will either cut and lay cardboard OR get out my “blocker” to spray Round-up to stop the spread of grass from the yard proper into the asparagus bed.
AND yes, horsetail is the worst VT Farm Wife.