Heat Wave

The temperatures in the high 80s and 90s have really punished the peppers this year.  Last year I had a pepper that was ready to harvest by this time.  This year, I just found the first little sweet pepper.  The plants are also much smaller than the same time last year.  My only explanation is the heat.  It has been 2 weeks with no rain in temperatures in the high 80s and in the 90s this week.  Fortunately there are thunderstorms and lower temperatures coming.  The tomatoes look a lot healthier this year and my corn is chest high already.  In the end, I'm sure it will all work out.  I'm glad I had blog posts for this same time last year.

Blooming Onion

My wife had never seen an onion flower, so when this one bolted, I decided to let it go. It's not too often that we get to see our root plants reproduce.  To this day I've never seen a radish, beet, or carrot bloom and harvest their seeds for a new crop.  I'm thinking about setting aside a section of the garden next year for seed harvest, onion, radish, beet, turnips, and carrots (carrots take two years, so I would save some of my fall carrots for this project).

Onion Bloom

First Egg

I went out today to check on the chickens in between raindrops and I found our first egg. I was so excited I ran back into the house, grabbed my phone, and snapped a picture.  Now Debbie gets to spend some time thinking and looking up new uses for egg. I'm thinking I could get used to having quiche as a regular part of my diet. 

First Field Plowed

We have been busy the last month.  Unfortunately, our crops took a beating (at least some of the peppers and the radishes).  We had temps in the high 80s the week before Memorial Day, followed by 3 nights of frost over Memorial Day weekend.  The past week has been in the high 80s again.  The radishes did not do well with such extremes, so I harvest all of the 128 that were in the ground for 4 weeks.  We wound up with approximately 50 that were edible. All of the crops look great right now with onions waist high and everything up and ready to grow.

I finished building the cages for the rabbits and almost went and got them before I realized, all I had was the cages.  I still needed the feeders, I had to hang the cages and put in the manure system.  I received the feeders last week and will be finishing everything up this week so that we can hopefully pick up our New Zealand breeders at the end of the week.


I went to purchase a 2 bottom plow up the road, however the guy informed me that he sold them all, but he had a couple 1 bottoms and several 3 bottoms.  I decided on a 3 bottom plow, figuring I could remove on of them and have a whole set of spare parts.  Unfortunately neither of us had realized that it was a category 2 plow, not a category 1.  So I returned it and picked out a 1 bottom plow with a coulter.  Sitting right beside it was a 3pt bedder with a double set of discs on each side.  I exchanged the 3 bottom plow for the 1 bottom and the bedder.

I plowed the first field that we will plant in garlic this fall.  The total size is 100x50, giving ten 100 foot rows.  I had planned on using the bedder to make raised beds, 1 foot wide every 5 feet (the width of my tractor), but to my surprise, the bedder is adjustable out to 2 foot wide beds, essentially doubling the amount of garlic I can plant per bed.  I can't wait to start making beds and see that piece of equipment work.  The plowing went surprisingly easy.  I did have to put the tractor in 4wd but I think if I would get the tires filled with calcium, it wouldn't have been an issue.

After a couple of weeks sitting, I was getting anxious to get a set of discs to finish tilling the field so that I could get a crop or two of buckwheat before fall planting.  Before I traveled to a used tractor dealer to buy a set of discs they had listed, I decided to check craigslist.  I don't look there often and have never bought anything through the site.  I just happened to find a 6 foot Dearborn disc and a 2 bottom plow listed for $200 each.  The guy moved into a new house, was cleaning out the garage, and wanted them gone.  I offered him $300, he accepted, and I was more than happy.  I paid less for a good set of discs AND a 2 bottom plow than I had planned on paying for a set of discs.


I finally got to use the discs on the field.  Being the first field that I've ever worked with a plow and discs, my wife and I are extremely happy with the results.  I may buy a drag harrow to break things up even finer and possibly a sub soiler, but we'll see how things go.  My next purchases will likely be a seeder for planting cover crops and a used manure spreader to spread my compost on the fields.

Look for more frequent updates now that things are finally rolling along.