Life on the Farm

         

           For those into gardening by way of the signs, today’s your day! Perfect for above ground crops as well as below. They don’t always overlap like this, so know you’re onto something good here, as both Miss Duff and my farmer friend Thurman have confirmed. You really can’t go wrong with anything you plant and/or transplant today. On top of this, we’re on the cusp of a full moon (coming up Wednesday). While good for plant life all the way around, almanac purists will tell you you don’t want to plant on the DAY of a full moon. (Why, I do not know. The theories explained to me don’t make sense, so to be safe, I’m planting the day before.)

            For this year's garden, underground crops still to go include sweet potatoes (I'm planting slips), onions and beets. I’m told it’s too late for Irish potatoes or those of the white variety. (In case you didn't notice, we didn't have a spring this year. Just winter...straight to summer. You need a cool patch in there to get in certain "winter crops" such as cabbage, lettuce and broccoli...Same is true for regular potatoes, so I'm told.) 

           Remaining above crops include different strains of sweet corn (Peaches and Cream is my favorite, though I’ve been given a new variety of seeds from a friend's garden, which I’m most eager to test. I’m told it has a larger ear, but is every bit as sweet, which is really all I care about. I’m also testing several varieties of tomatoes this year (will report on which specifics later; I have to read the tags again). So far, biggest challenge is (already) bugs eating said leaves (and one goat), so we’re testing natural theories here as well. (Yesterday I applied garlic powder, because I had no cheyenne pepper on hand, but now I do, so if it rains, I’ll be replacing garlic with cheyenne next go round. I also have the dawn dishwashing detergent on stand by. I'm told mixed with water, it's a great bug repellant that's natural and safe for plants.)

            Not sure how scientific my studies will be, but if the plants make it, I'll share what I happened as I'm tracking every step! (And I welcome your input on Facebook if you've found something to work~)

            Here's to life on the farm!

            Go(at) Team!