October 29, 2019
I limed my garden yesterday. Well, part of it anyway. The six pound bag of lime that my wife brought home instructed me to apply 4-5 lbs per 100 sq ft. If you don't know the pH of your soil, you don't know how much lime to apply. I did an internet search and came up with another gem. It said that one cup of lime for 50 sq ft..
would be adequate. Between these two extreems the truth must lie, but I didn't want to test my soil, so I was happy to kneel in front of each hill and sprinkle a handful of lime in a 2' diameter, and work it in with my fingertips. My mounds are sweeter now. I don't know by how much, but I knew they were acidic because the constant addition of compost makes them that way. I'm willing to juggle soft facts around like marshmallows, but hard facts like numbers have sharp edges, and I tend to leave them alone..
October 30, 2019
Five nights of temperatures in the low twenties are predicted, so I was a month late in my expectations of "The November Freezings". I got the spinach and lettuce covered and all the faucets wrapped. The garden faucet has a four outlet manifold on it now and presents a more exposed surface area so I put my foam knee pads on it, wrapped it with an old sweatshirt, and put a five gallon bucket over it. Made me smile, but I'm easy..
I got the irrigation lines drained, ball valves in the open position and checked the light in the pump house. I run water on nights below 26ð by putting a nozzle on the end of a hose, attaching the hose to a faucet, turning the faucet on full force, then unscrewing the hose until water starts squirting out. The pressure seems to keep the water from freezing even on a 14ð night, and the pump going off and on all night keeps all the other faucets from freezing..
October 31, 2019
The grays, tans, shadows and dust remind us that November is at hand. A dismal month to be sure, but we get to plant garlic. Onion sets can also go in then so two patches of garden can avoid the barren look. All the bright yellow and golden leaves that have fallen make the morning walk like a carnival. A kalidascope of crunchy colors that make you drag your feet like a five year old..
I'ma thinking about my rake in the deep spots where they swirl around your ankles. The freezing nights have turned the horseradish leaves brown so I cut them off at the ground. New shoots were already coming up, and the cycle of life displayed by their appearance brings a gardener joy..
