Posts Tagged ‘water’

Holding down the farm

Ry and I have been holding down the farm the last couple of days - solo - just like it was until the last part of June.  We have been harvesting and planting for the early fall.

So, I see a lot of good and also a lot of room for improvement out at the farm.  As I may have hinted, the crops were a little water deficient this year - a product of ongoing drought here in the west and lower aquifer levels.  That helped shepherd the aphids to some crops - summer squash, watermelons, cucumbers, winter squash, pumpkins.  The aphids have been my biggest challenge, aside from managing limited water.  Now we have the water nailed, thanks to Muffy and Glenn, who are the best farm supporters (they are the landowners).

Yet, the aphids have established themselves as a presence in the field and I am trying to plant stuff that they won’t eat, and if they like what I plant, I have been spraying GC MIte (Garlic and Clove oil base, for aphids, mites, thrips).  It works pretty well.  It’s pretty low-grade - no pesticide suit necessary, which works for me.  Anyway, this is my challenge.  We lost the summer squash to aphids, which may be just as well, because, after 3 straight months of zucchini and crookneck, it seemed that most (not all) the members aren’t missing it.

Well, I am just trying to congratulate myself for what has been a job well-done, and learn from lots of mistakes.  There are 8 weeks of CSA left, and I’ve done and planted all I can for that, mostly.

Out Like a Juvenile Sheep