Piglets, Chicks, and Garden
I’m enjoying every minute of my retirement! I still get up at the same time but it is so great not to have to go somewhere! In my jammies I take my coffee out in the yard, stroll around, check out the plants, pull a weed or two, and say hello to who ever is breakfasting at the bird feeders as I plan my day.
Our green house has been very successful at eliminating the damage from squash borer and cucumber beetle – a perennial problem for me. Just yesterday I harvested the first tiny yellow squash! The Japanese eggplant is doing well with out damage from flea beetle especially compared with the eggplants out in the ground of the big garden.
Our pigs are already twice the size they were when we got them! It doesn’t take too many days of hands on care to have them eager to have an ear or back scratch and to come running when they see a friendly face. I have named them Prunes and Pork Chop (lest we forget! ).
The chicks have begun to fledge and while no longer the fluff balls they are when first hatched they are fine little guys and gals. We can’t yet see the difference to tell hens from cockerels. I imagine that will happen in a week or two.
The main work in the garden over the last few days has been harvesting greens and weeding! The first batch of lettuces are large and beautiful – we’re eating big salad every day as well as collards, bok choi, scallions, and fabulous potatoes. I’ve weeded the sweet corn, and mulched all the soil and garden paths with spoiled hay to hold in the moisture. By week’s end I’ll harvest this year’s crop of Elephant Garlic and think about what to plant in their place. The heat we are having – following a good drench of rain last week – has boosted the pepper plants to finally begin shooting up well. They have been in the ground for three weeks but have been very low key till now. All the tomatoes are coming right along in their big wire towers but while there are a few blooms I don’t expect to see ripe fruit till mid July.
The garden from the north west corner.