The picture on top was taken on Saturday. The picture below was taken in June. There is so much growth. It’s humbling.
growing
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Category Archives: seasons
glorious growth
We’ve come so far this year. Really. I don’t care that the lettuce has bolted, the potatoes suffered some, and the basil got such a late start. Look at this wonder:
The tomato jungle:
The cucumbers are just getting started, but they’re growing well and already have baby fruit on them:
Shhhh… don’t tell this gorgeous cauliflower that it’s August!
We loved meeting more of our neighbors during our first open farm hours this last weekend. Thank you, neighbors! We’ll host open hours on Fridays (4 – 6 pm) and Saturdays (9am – noon) most weekends for the rest of the harvest season. Please come by and say hello. We also will pick vegetables (and reserve eggs) for you on other days — just call (503.245.1507) or email. We won’t pick them until you request them, though, because we want them to be as fresh as possible for you. We notice a difference, and you will, too.
(psst… five hens are laying… the rest should start laying eggs in the next couple of weeks. the eggs are wonderful.)
spent peas
chicory in bloom
Do you remember when I showed you the chicory plant that was bolting? This is what it looks like today:
That one thick stalk created a hundred thin flower stalks that each have twenty or more flower buds. They snake and swirl and swoop and bloom with such determined energy. I find it all very inspiring so I have made room for this plants’ dance even though it got in the way of the peas, and I could have used some of this space for other things.
This is what the plant looks like in early spring. This photo is from April 09, when it first came up in the garden. I loved its determined character even then. I thought it was a lettuce until it bloomed last year.
Every day at sunset, those blue flowers fade and never open again. Flowers higher on each stalk open the next day. This will go on until the plant is spent.
And I will always make room in my garden for this creature.
chicks growing…
So far, all the girls seem healthy and active. They’re growing so much that the 100-gallon brooder was getting small for them so David rigged up a posh new abode.
It was fun to watch them get used to their new digs. The younger ones stretched their wings much more and tried out the roost branch. Since there was so much more room, they really fluffed around the pine shavings. Then they realized they were exhausted and had a couple of extra-long naps.
We’ve been taking the four older Australorps outside when it’s sunny. Selfishly, it’s so much fun to spend time in the garden with creatures who are as interested in the digging as I am! Today, they were timid and stayed well away from my shovel, but they followed behind for awhile looking for bugs and things that I uncovered. Is this why people love chickens so much? They affirm us in the garden? (I felt like I had a cheerleading squad out there this afternoon!) But I caught their ruthless techniques and am glad we’ll be able to keep them out of the main garden most of the time.
Here’s a photo of one of the little Buckeyes investigating a dandelion:
Ellie wants to give the birds things to eat or for amusement so we’ve had some great, in-the-moment discussions about herbs this week. She came bounding into the garage with her two fists full of Veronica/speedwell because it’s blooming in a lovely way right now. I cautioned her that this is a powerful medicine plant, and she shouldn’t give it to the birds like that — but a couple of dandelion flowers and a few sprigs of clover would be okay. Later, she asked more questions about all of these plants, and I appreciate how closely she follows along and cares about the details. She is very good at plant ID — if I give her enough information so that it lodges in her mind as a story of sorts — and I’m becoming much more confident about her ability to keep to the plants she knows when she’s outside exploring.
The digging has been an ongoing soap opera. The fourth bed and the paths around it are almost finished, and I’ll write more about that after the weekend. Thank god for that broadfork, though.
Happy spring!