This summer's garden is a pitiful sight. The tomato plants at the end of the garden are tall, but several of the plants produce only tiny tomatoes. The peppers, just this side of the tomatoes, have hardly grown and still haven't bloomed.
At the near end of the garden sweet potatoes, replanted three times, are stunted. The vines should have covered this entire area by now.
Still, hope springs eternal. We are preparing to plant a fall garden, believing rain will surely come soon.
This morning Dennis demolished the old cold frame, which has served us for a decade or more. After removing the front board and one of the sides, he moved the rich soil into the wheelbarrow for transport to the garden.
We had to sacrifice the old cold frame because the wood that supported the soil is rotted.
At last Dennis pulled the frame remnants away and we said goodbye to an old friend that provided us with countless winter salads.
Dennis had already repaired the newer cold frame, whose corner had pulled apart. This time he screwed a piece of 2"x4" into the corner.
Manure-rich litter from the chicken house (another benefit of keeping chickens) replenishes the cold frame soil. Here, Dennis is raking out pieces of straw that haven't yet deteriorated.
The last step before planting will be replacement of the old plastic on the lids, a task that has to be done every year. Glass, of course, would be more lasting, but it would make the lids too heavy to lift.
The straw bales served as insulation for the cold frame last winter. We will use them for chicken litter and for garden mulch and get new bales of straw for next winter's insulation. This weathering process helps destroy wheat and weed seeds that otherwise would sprout in the garden.
One source of inspiration for all this preparation is the poke weed growing by the garden fence. It has had no water, yet is nearly as tall as the 12' fence. You can see it in the top photo at the right end of the row of tomato plants. It is indomitable. Perhaps we, too, can persevere.
At the near end of the garden sweet potatoes, replanted three times, are stunted. The vines should have covered this entire area by now.
Still, hope springs eternal. We are preparing to plant a fall garden, believing rain will surely come soon.
This morning Dennis demolished the old cold frame, which has served us for a decade or more. After removing the front board and one of the sides, he moved the rich soil into the wheelbarrow for transport to the garden.
We had to sacrifice the old cold frame because the wood that supported the soil is rotted.
At last Dennis pulled the frame remnants away and we said goodbye to an old friend that provided us with countless winter salads.
Dennis had already repaired the newer cold frame, whose corner had pulled apart. This time he screwed a piece of 2"x4" into the corner.
Manure-rich litter from the chicken house (another benefit of keeping chickens) replenishes the cold frame soil. Here, Dennis is raking out pieces of straw that haven't yet deteriorated.
The last step before planting will be replacement of the old plastic on the lids, a task that has to be done every year. Glass, of course, would be more lasting, but it would make the lids too heavy to lift.
The straw bales served as insulation for the cold frame last winter. We will use them for chicken litter and for garden mulch and get new bales of straw for next winter's insulation. This weathering process helps destroy wheat and weed seeds that otherwise would sprout in the garden.
One source of inspiration for all this preparation is the poke weed growing by the garden fence. It has had no water, yet is nearly as tall as the 12' fence. You can see it in the top photo at the right end of the row of tomato plants. It is indomitable. Perhaps we, too, can persevere.
4 comments:
I notice Dennis is in a long-sleeved work shirt...is it cool at your house?
So, you're going to only have one cold-frame now?
Dennis and our neighbors are planning to build new cold frames. They've never had one before, but enjoyed spinach and lettuce from ours last winter. Now they want their own. Good for them. They're the same neighbors who have co-ownership in our chickens. These are our first neighbors in 37 years who have shared our interests. They are nice people. We like them.
No, it is not cool. The temperature climbed to 97ยบ today. It was cooler in the morning when I took the photos. Dennis must have been sweaty in that shirt while exerting himself physically. I was just standing around with my camera, wearing short pants and short-sleeved t-shirt. I was comfy.
Short pants must mean no more chiggers? Finally!?
Love these posts and your replies often have just as much packed into them as the initial post!
Almost all of the chiggers are gone and I am no longer a prisoner in the house.
Dennis says he wore the long-sleeved shirt to shade his skin from the sun. Smart man.
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