Mid-July and Summer Thoughts

More than half the summer break is over, and it is similar to getting older.  Both make one think more clearly about what one really wants to accomplish in life and this summer.  I have my long, long list of to-do items, most of which I will never start.

Naturally, this time of year, I think a lot about gardening.  We've expanded the garden beds here at Trout Lily.  The upper garden which is about a 16x 30 has many new raised beds, with some mulch in the walkways.  More mulch is needed.  We have harvested the garlic (over 260 bulbs),  broccoli, strawberries, some cabbage, some kale, some yellow squash, black raspberries, red raspberries and blueberries.  The red zinnias and other flowers look on with curiosity to see if we will get spinach, tomatoes, and eggplant.

The garden to the side, three or the four planned beds were completede have lettuce, beets, and collards growing.  One bed is dedicated to asparagus for the first year, and another partially to pollinator attracting flowers. The lower garden has some squash, peppers, basil, tomatoes, potatoes (now suffering from blight), corn, gourds, onions, and yes, more flowers.  Don't ask me what kind.
The pigs, Barbi and Que watch on enviously.  Oh, how they would like to get in there and do some damage.

If we plan to really make this food grow effectively, we need to get a handle on soil science.  Thankfully, Danielle's sister just published a book on the subject.  If we knew how to effectively test and amend the soil, maybe we can minimize the number of problems with blights and weak looking plants, and the pests.  It seems like the next logical step.

While we have made huge improvements and additions, there is always some new method or information that will make it fun and challenging. For example, we just got the spring fixed so in stead of leaking out, the water from the sistern now goes to a bathtub for the horse's fresh water but the over flow goes into a pipe, down to a hose and to the garden or water trough at the lower garden.  I want to change out the overflow to a higher diameter tubing for greater flow and pressure when we need it.

As for the school gardens, I am seriously considering changing what we grow.  It seems silly to grow things when no one is there to take care of it regularly, despite our best intentions.  I'm leaning more towards an early greens type garden, and then plant things that grow like crazy and are harvested in the fall, like gourds.
Concepts and Lessons in a summer neglected school garden.