We did get some rain, but only enough to keep from raking the hay that has been down for several days now, driving us crazy. But the humidity! Holy cow, you sweat buckets just walking around. I finished up weeding the pole beans in the Sand Garden and am now moving on to trimming the tomato vines in the Wolf Garden. The tomatoes got planted a little too close this year and we’ve found that they won’t cross if the vines and their flowers don’t touch their neighbors. So, I cut off any vines heading next door. It’s a process but really doesn’t take that long. I’ve noticed several red tomatoes on some of the vines. Hooray! The Cannonball and Katja are the earliest I’ve seen, so far. I can’t wait for that first BLT. Yum!
Will had thought our big cow was getting ready to calf. But later, she was with the herd and showed no signs of birth having happened or happening soon. Ha ha! Yesterday, three days later, when he was checking the cows, he saw a tan calf leap out of the ferns and run toward the woods. Hmmm, we have no tan calves. I went out in the afternoon and there was the big cow with her tan calf! Then, yesterday, too, our red heifer, which was due to calf, wasn’t with the herd. Oh oh, somebody was having a calf. Well, we spent hours scouring the woods on the ATV and walking. No heifer. I was running through the woods in the Wolf pasture on the ATV when it suddenly quit. Oh gee, a long way from the house and with my bad knees, that was not a pleasant thought. Finally, I got it running and took off for home. I almost made it when the tie rod on the left front tire came off and the tire skidded me to an abrupt stop. Not my day! I started hoofing it for home. Fortunately, I met Will coming to find me, with the golf cart. He managed to very carefully, point the tire in the right direction a couple of times and limp it home. We ordered a tie rod end but until it comes, we’re down to the golf cart. He did go out on foot and there was the heifer. With her buff-colored new bull calf. Whew! With a heifer, you always worry about them having trouble calving. Fortunately, our bull is ¾ Black Angus and throws smaller calves.
Well guys, we’re down to the stretch with turning over our seed business on Saturday. If anyone wants to order from us before then, you can email me your order and just mail the check. The post office is taking forever in mailing these days and I don’t want anyone to miss out before the turnover. I hope everyone will continue following Seed Treasures at Life Root Farm, Lynn and Jesse’s homestead.
— Jackie
Today’s the Day!!!
Congrats and best wishes!
Yes, it is. Our seeds were just loaded on the trailer and headed down the road for Wisconsin. A relief, knowing they are going to be continuing their journey while beginning Lynn and Jesse’s new experience.
Congrats on your retirement from the seed business that you and Will have worked hard to make it such a success.
It will give you some more time next year for your gardens.
The deer have been eating my green beans this year I have plastic bags tied all around
the raised beds. They came in and ate my second planting even with the bags .
Won’t be canning beans this year.
Sue
Bummer! A fence is the only thing that worked for us. Deer are so smart! Mom used child’s hand-held windmills around her garden to keep them out. You might try those.
Best wishes for your new schedule. I expected some gardening challenges this year due to my lack of caring for for the garden (spouse on hospice so other things to do) but suprised by lack of squash blossoms (gueroman martinique) and bean blossoms.(marrow fat). I think the heat did them in.tomatoes and peppers doing well. Nice gentle rain now in western Minnesota so that might be all they need.
Again, thanks for all you do and the education you provide.
Thank you. The heat will hold down blossoms on squash, peppers, tomatoes and melons. Usually, when it cools off somewhat, they’ll bloom like crazy and make fruit. Some rain will definitely help!!
Just catching up. Yes, it’s hot in Central
Kansas. Sunday over 100 and Monday
Was 107. So Sunday evening the heat
Pump outside quit. Motor done. Called
The repair folks Monday AM. They were
Out to the farm by afternoon. So, in the
Meantime did an out trauma Nursing
Procedure. Take semi shallow basin, fill
With ice cubes, pile up lots!!! Then set that
On the floor with a fan blowing on it.
Out of the walk way, oscillating fans
Are best But use what you have. The
Temperature in this old ( built in 1930)
Well insulated house with 10 foot ceilings
Was staying at 82 degrees with the
Outside at 107. The repair guys came
In to say they were finished and just
Very very surprised at the inside
Temps. Showed them the make shift
Cooling. Used to cool babies and
Toddlers that ice packs aren’t practical
For heat distress.
Used what I knew for managing the
Heat.
Such good information! We used to hang a wet towel over a chair back and blow a fan on it to help cool a room. I’m glad you got your heat pump back working! These temperatures are brutal.
Here in Copper Basin Alaska we are having a hot spell by our standards mid 70’s supposedly for the next week. Since my garden is in hoop houses and green house with it in the 90’s when the sun is out o do my gardening in the evenings and am trying to shift some of the firewood into the shed days. Good to hear you will still be writing!
I’m glad I will have more time for both writing and homesteading. I haven’t baked bread for months!! Or made cheese…
I sure wish we’d cool off to the 70’s!
I loved the little postcard you sent!
Looks like the calf is saying, surprise, surprise. Cut little thing.
We hit over 90 degrees-I worked in gardens for 4 hours and my clothes were drenched in sweat. I have spent days hunting for new calves-boy can they hide, I always feel grateful when I find them. I’ve been busy harvesting onions as the tops have fallen over this is about 4 weeks early and I think due to the heat and dry weather. We are 3 plus inches behind in rainfall. I’ve been enjoying Romano beans-very prolific pole bean. Send any rain my way.
My garlic should have been dug at least a week before we did dig. And yes it was earlier than normal. Welcome to climate change gardening is all I can say.
Yep, the heat is brutal!! Will went out looking for that calf through the woods for a long time. Then I took the ATV out and tried again for a couple hours. Finally, after a breakdown, Will went out again and there was, the heifer and calf, just calmly walking out of the woods by the North Garden. We were so worried as she is a first-calf heifer and we do have wolves around here that would be happy to find a cow calving.
Good news on two healthy calves. Old cows can fool you 3 days old! That’s a lot of tomatoes! To prune Picked my first 2 ripe tomatoes Ate one just holding the other. Nothing beats eating a vine fresh tomato. Been working on my seed order. Not sure if I can get it off tomorrow If not I’m looking forward to working with the new couple you and Will set up the seed business with tough luck about tie rod. Sure glad Will got you saving your knees
If you’d like, if you email me your order, I can pack it up soon. You can just mail me the check. Otherwise, I’m sure Lynn and Jesse will be happy to have you for a customer.
Thank you
Dear Jackie, Talk about “sweating”. Just came in and am doing just that! Our zone 9, far north California weather forecast is over a hundred for the next 7 days. Then a vacation, and then my left knee total replacement. Our summer of events has been wild!
Wow, and I thought we were hot!! I can’t even imagine a week over 100 degrees F. Summer is roaring past, isn’t it?
Jackie……. Come to TX! LOL. Last Wednesday, we were 105 with a feel like of 120+! Looking forward to this weekend. Highs in the upper 90’s will be a break and LOWS of about 69 will be HEAVEN for us.
I can’t even wrap my mind around temperatures like that, not sure I’d survive. My hat’s off to you for your ability to tolerate that kind of heat.
Will you still have updates on your soon to be private farm? Lots of us have been with you a long time and like to keep up with your lives.
Yes, I will keep on writing and blogging, just like now. Only more so with the writing as I have more time available. I would miss all of you!!
Sorry to hear about everybody’s hot summer. It’s been cooler than usual since early June here in southern Vermont, only three days did it reach 90º, which is unusual for us. It’s raining cats and dogs right now, it rained all day yesterday and it’s not supposed to stop until sometime tomorrow. We’re glad for the rain, as it’s been dry the last two weeks. The geese are happy that their spring-fed mini-pond is filling up again, although I think the tadpoles have ownership at this point.
So far the tomatoes look great (Opalka and Jersey Devil) and all the different snap and dry beans are on schedule as well. I’m busy rooting strawberry runners so I can plant a new bed for next year, as our current beds are looking old and raggedy. The potato beetles are a daily battle and the Japanese beetles are swarming my hazelnut bushes, but the chickens like to eat them so it’s free chicken food.
I can’t believe the summer is half over already. Last winter lingered far longer than it should have and with the cooler-than-usual temperatures so far this season, it feels like summer didn’t really start. Not that I should complain! I’m definitely not a fan of hot weather.
Boy, I’m not a fan of hot weather either!! Give me 60’s and 70’s any day. I’d rather have -35 than 100 degrees. Not in the summer of course. LOL
Are you going to update your website to “point” folks to Life Root Farm?
I already did that but I’ll check to make sure it is clear.
Yep, I checked. It is very clear that this transfer is happening on August 1st, this Saturday.
And since I work IT, I did a search on Lynn and Jesse’s name and Life Root Farm comes up. And now I might start digging as their last name is a variation of one of my great-grandparents surname.
Its so hot in Utah that my pole beans are growing great, flowering great but not setting any fruit…because of the heat. 90% of my tomato crop has succumbed to the Curly Top virus. Never had that before this year, its bad. Cabbage is great though so not a total failure.
Same here in western Colorado. I’m down to 3 healthy looking plants out of 12, and I had one summer squash plant infected as well! My beans were infected with something, and I lost several of them. This growing season is brutal!
Yes, this year is definitely brutal. When it’s very hot for days, many crops that flower will drop their blooms to combat stress. These include beans, tomatoes and peppers. I just keep trying and am thankful for everything I do get. This is the main reason I can up everything I can on a good year, despite it looking like overload. You get a year or two like this and haven’t done that and you run out. Not a good thing if conditions get bad somehow with an emergency situation where you can’t run to the store.
And thank you, Jackie, for all your reminders in your column, to keep keeping on!
Went through the lower part of Utah a couple weeks ago. What a gorgeous state: Zion, and the beautiful little farms and ranches among beautiful rocky mountains. Amazing!