6/19/2011 Day at the Winery!So, we did some gardening in the morning- your basic weeding, and checking for scavengers (bugs that is!). Because we don't use any pesticides or chemicals, we have to be vigilant when it comes to bugs! We are hoping that we have eradicated the potato beetles from the Tomatillo plants, but then yesterday we noticed that there were many tiny wholes on the eggplant leaves- the bugs are at in in full force, but we will win! Now, if only we could stop the ducks from poking their bills through the fence and going for the snow pea leaves and the tomato plants! After loading up the farm stand, we were on our way to local vineyards to scope out the competition! Jay was quite envious of some of the trestles! We had a lovely time touring 3 wineries, it was a beautiful day! Photos From: Miranda Vineyard 6/17/2011 Even the Ducks Like Strawberries!This evening, it is all about the Ducks! Aren't they sweet?! They had so much to tell me this afternoon, with all the rain and thunder and lightening today, they had many moments to share with me. After chatting, I shared some strawberries with them- don't fret, they were the half rotten ones that were not fit for human consumption! I do not waste a single berry in this house! They were so happy that some of the strawberries were for them- in fact, I didn't even make it up to the chickens- the ducks were so excited to have something sweet I couldn't resist giving them all that I had picked up off the ground for them! After feeding the ducks, we got to the work of the afternoon, collecting eggs, checking out the plants, and picking some more lavender. We picked three large bunches of lavender- our whole kitchen and our hands smell delicious! Can't wait till it dries and we can add it to soap, and make beautiful bunches of lavender for decoration. We barely made it in the house before the next rain storm- the sky started looking pretty scary, Porter hunkered done on the ground so that he was not the tallest person standing, and then we we forced to make a dash for the house as the rain started coming down in sheets and the thunder and lightening scared us inside. Oh well, hopefully the weather will be better tomorrow! 6/17/2011 Raining again!I guess it is good for the plants that it keeps raining, but it is driving some of us at The Grassy Knoll Farm a little crazy! I did forget to mention yesterday with the Strawberry Blog, that the rain has helped all of the plants- I credit the rain with the numerous strawberries, the tomato plants grow at least 6 inches a day, everything is reaching for the sun with all of this rain- it would be nice if for a few days in a row, the plants got more sun than rain! I am not even going to include a picture of the rain- you all know what it looks like this morning! Have a great weeke
6/16/2011 Our Strawberries are Here!Our Strawberries are here! They are certainly coming in fast and furious. Not too large, but deliciously sweet- and so many of them! They are keeping us busy- we have to pick strawberries everyday to keep up with the harvest! The ducks and chickens watch, hoping that there will be some half eaten ones that they can snatch up for a mid afternoon treat! There will be a treat for two lucky customers at the farm stand this weekend- we are selling two pints of strawberries to the early birds at the farm stand this weekend. It was all Teresa was willing to spare because they are so good, and she loves jam! Keeping up with the strawberries means that there was hardly any time for Teresa to do any weeding this week, except in the green house, so Jason was slaving away this morning trying to take care of this weeks weeds in the garden beds. Everything is coming along very nicely. It is very exciting to see the garden grow! Even our niece, Annabelle's cantalope plants are doing well in their new raised bed (Anna got to chose which vegetable she wanted- she picked cantalope and carrots!). Our new (since the ducks plowed through it) carrot bed is coming along nicely, we will be sharing our carrots with you and of course, with Annabelle and her family! Here is praying for a sunny, June weekend. Don't forget to get to the farm stand quickly for your choice picks of strawberries, green onions, mixed baby greens, radishes and kale (curly and dinosaur)! Enjoy! This is your new blog post. Click here and start typing, or drag in elements from the top bar.
6/11/2011 The Lavender is Harvested!After a morning of rain, The clouds remained, but the air was cool and dry. The plants dried out, and we went for a tour of the garden to check on everything. We came across our lavender and noticed it was ready for harvesting! What fun! We smell delicious, and so does our hall closet where we chose to dry the lavender- a cool, dry, dark place is needed to dry lavender to maintain the scent and color of the buds. Don't they look beautiful? In about two weeks we will have bunches of lavender for sale at the farm stand. I will be keeping a few aside for soap and other sweet smelling items. 6/8/2011 Hot Day!It is the hottest day so far this year and I have retreated to safety. Cooking in the heat while watering, digging, weeding and tending to the demands of the ducks I was defeated by 2pm today. Hiding behind glass with the blasting of the AC here is your garden up date.
Now in are second week of June and the Pole beans are reaching and the squash has sprouted nicely with the great weather we have been having. Cut worms have been doing there best to fell our young plants peppers in which we have had to replant quit a few of. The infamous Potato Beetles have been making short work of our tomatillo plants and I am seriously thing of pulling them out before it gets out of control. Over it has been a great start to summer we have been harvesting Kale, Radishes, Green Onions and Mix Greens. The farm stand will be full this weekend so be sure to stop by. |
Teresa Fuller
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