Melon Time

Bob Bauer

August 23, 2016 (Last Updated: March 06, 2023) | Reading Time: 2 minutes

August 21, 2016

I started moving my grass hay flakes around today. Movable mulch modules. The spring planted kale went to seed so I pulled it up and moved the hay flakes from there to under the fall planted Brussels sprouts. The bottom leaves of the Brussels sprouts were four inches off the ground so the hay tucked in perfectly..

It seems the hay is not decomposing as quickly as straw which means it will last longer but the plants aren't getting as much nutrients. If I could compress peat moss I could make "Pete Pavers" and get rich..

August 22, 2016

The last of the first planting of honeydew melon got picked today. I get three plantings of melon in each year by starting a batch indoors three weeks before the last frost date. I start the second batch by direct seeding into the mounds about two weeks after the last frost and then again in four weeks. I don't always get the last of the melon on the last vines to ripen but I have a continuous melon supply all summer. That's what summer's all about right?..

.I always like to get out the pitchfork and turn the empty mound to see how many worm holes, air pockets, root fragments and wee beasties there are. I'm never disappointed but I always strive for more..

August 23, 2016

The first mound of cantaloupes have been harvested. I pulled the cantaloupe vines off of the mound that was next to the honeydew mound, so instead of letting the two mounds sit all winter, I raked them together to make a rectangle that was just the right size for a double row of beets. All of my root crops are getting planted in double rows about eight inches apart now because it's an efficient use of land and easier to maintain than a long strung out row. The plants shade the ground next to each other hindering weed germination, and slowing down the drying of the soil. Watering down the center strip gets both rows soaked..

The last of the second harvest of artichokes is done so I think I'm supposed to cut the stalks back again. New growth is already coming up around them but I've never heard of three harvests. The stalks are kind of cool looking, kind of Goth, kind of prehistoric. I may just leave them for awhile as garden art..

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