June 20, 2019
The prettiest thing in the garden yesterday was the drops of water from the sprinkler clinging to the bird netting that was covering my fifth planting of corn. They shimmered and sparkled with all the refracted colors of the rainbow, and when I squinted my eyes, became a trippy light show. Colors can move us, like music, because the heart knows that which the mind can't comprehend. I used my shade cloth over the lettuce transplants and got zero wilt..
Using boards on top of five gallon buckets doesn't work as well because, although the plants are in direct shade, the light from the sky on both sides of the board seems to bombard the plants with enough photons to cause them stress. The volunteer chard that is coming up all over the place is being allowed to grow, even if it's in the way, because it will provide fall greens, overwinter, and bring the first fresh leafy veggies of the spring..
June 29, 2019
Just because you are heavy on the mulch doesn't mean you can water much less when you are growing veggies. The mulch only slows down the release of moisture from the soil but the plants are the main culprit. Their respiration depleats the ground water much more rapidly than I realized. The signs of wilt that I've used as a gauge to water application are too late. The plants stop growing before they wilt, so staying ahead of the cycle is optimum for healthy plants. A plant that has stopped growing is less able to ward off parasites both above and below ground..
In essence, when a plant stops growing, it goes dormant, and starts dying. Sticking your finger in the soil around your plant and finding the ground damp a half inch down does not always mean the plant is hydrated. It only means the soil is damp at the surface. If you water and the plant perks up, you were too late..
June 30, 2019
This is the time of year that just seems to pass too quickly for me. The end of June feels like a third of summer is gone. The garden is in full production with first picking of corn today, and beans that will be ready tomorrow. The beets are sweet and watermelon are the size of softballs. I get a bowl full of zucchini every other day and enough cucumbers to keep my wife happy. The peas are about done but the cabbage are growing gargantuan..
Second planting of cauliflower and broccoli are maturing and spaghetti squash are as big as a football. I don't want it to end. The temps are mild, sunny and warm during the days, and warm enough at night to leave the bedroom sliding door open. Allowing the cats out to hunt at night feels like they are earning their keep although mounds of dirt keep appearing in my garden..
