row by row

Greetings on a grey Humboldt County Monday.  I am always a bit melancholy on rainy days, but today I am ok with it.  One, I could use a day away from the field to go to Ferndale Tractor, the bank, get some groceries, etc.  Two, the forecast is for 70 degrees the rest of the week so I know I won’t have to be inside for long.

The past week in Orleans featured great weather and some very satisfying progress.  The end of the onion planting is in sight, and tomato planting has begun.  Marcy, my lovely better half, spent several days prepping and planting with me which was a huge help and inspiration.  I definitely  enjoy the peace and quiet of working alone, but being a team sports kind of dude I like and often need the motivation that other workers provide.  I think I would have to admit that I have a competitive streak, and it fires me up to see someone else’s hoe stirring up the soil, somebody’s box of tomatoes filling up.  Plus, I get a break from talking to my imaginary friends.

So, my plans for the week ahead are to finish planting the Luther Burbank tomatoes, bet ground ready for the cucurbits area that will include about four types of cucumbers, four types of winter squash and—perhaps my number one reason for farming in hot summer Orleans—about ten types of melons.   I will try to reign in my desire to write you guys a novel about the oh-so-brief couple of months when delicious orbs of sweet ecstasy grace my garden with their presence, but once the fruits are here all bets are off and lets just hope I can keep my hands off them long enough to grab hold of my steering wheel and get them to market.

Okay, back to life in early May, and back to the field with me.  Catch you later on down the trail.

Dustin

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