September 29, 2019
I'm slowly getting the garden walkways hula hoed. I like the look of dirt pathways and may not mulch them. I've always covered them in shavings, straw or leaves so that I won't get muddy shoes while walking on them, but I've got rubber boots now so it doesn't matter. My wife picked up a pair of "chore" boots made by The Original Muck Boot Company and they changed my opinion on rubber boots. They are lined, warm and comfortable, and don't make your feet tired because they seem to have proper arch support..
They don't pinch your toes when you walk or slide around on your feet. I wish I had known about them 20 years ago. Walking in the woods is so much better now, and working in the garden when it's winter time is more enjoyable..
September 30, 2019
I got to pick a third bowl of Brussels sprouts yesterday, and another stalk is starting to fatten up it's sprouts. I guess all you have to do is bad mouth them, tear off the bottom leaves, and let them get covered in whiteflies for them to start producing. I also got to watch the turkey vultures circle up on the thermals until they got really high, then peal away one by one to glide off to the south. I'm going to miss them. They are a constant summer phenomenon that I enjoy every day..
They are the only local birds that spend most of their time gliding. Their shadow zips across the ground and you look up and wish you could fly. I'm glad we have local geese that won't be migrating because they are an incredible reminder of the joy of being outdoors. The dragonflies are gone, and the hummingbirds are scarce, but the yellow jackets own the strawberry patch..
October 01, 2019
My son brought over two bales of straw yesterday. I don't know how he knew I had been raking up the used summer straw into piles for redistribution. Straw is a valuable asset to any garden, especially organic ones, because the constant addition of compost and leaves tends to make the soil too acidic for many vegetables. This inhibits the uptake of nutrients and results in poor performance..
Adding straw mulch sweetens the soil, like lime, and counteracts the negative aspects of acidity. It also keeps the raindrops from battering the soil and breaking it down from it's aggregated state into fine silt like particles that either run off in erosion, or get washed down the worm holes and fill them. It also insulates the ground so that the earthworms can continue processing it, and adding their castings to the upper level of soil all winter long..
