The last of August and first part of September have been a lot of work!
- Picked up another load of chips and shredded them.
- Purchased a trailer load of manure from Pioneer Materials in Gilbert for $80.
- Rototilled the garden, spread a mixture of chips and manure
- Dug in the mixture
- Tried several different methods of sprouting
- Had a gardening class for ward members and neighbors.
I have been having some success in sprouting finally. You can get a more detailed description of what I ended up doing reviewing this section on sprouting: SPROUTING
I have sprouted Butternut squash both from what I harvested from a squash Edith bought at the store that we ate and some seeds that I bought from Henry Fields;
I have started the following in plastic cup planters: cauliflower, chard, Okra, Granex Onion, butternut squash, green onions, sweet pea, cabbage, armenian cucumber, straight 8 cucumber and egg plant. I have been pretty successful in getting them to sprout. Now we will see if I can successfully transplant them into the garden.
I also planted directly into the garden: butternut squash, green onions, zuchinni squash, chard and carrots. I am anxiously awaiting to see what happens. The planting method I tried is:
- Dig a furrow and let the water run slowing down it until the entire furrow is soaking wet.
- Please seeds in the bottom of the furrow.
- Cover seeds lightly with potting soil.
- Cover potting soil with dry grass clippings from mow job two weeks ago.
- Carefully water the furrow with a hand held wand.
- Place a board on top of the furrow, leaving a gap above the seeds.
- Drag dirt up to the edges of the board to trap air and moisture below the board.
- Pray
26 Sept 2009 Final Analysis: It is too hot to plant in September!!! I don't care what the charts say, it is too hot. I have done everything I can possibly do to cover the seeds, to keep the sun off, to keep them moist and have a great start. They sprouted, but in spite of me trying to shade them, I had to take flood irrigation in the yard followed by a very intense sun today and I think it has burned off nearly everything. I have very little to show for all my work. In addition the grapes vines are covered with bugs filling the air with flying insects.
It just isn't worth the hard work!!
Take a vacation and wait until October!
I guess the farmers have to go by the probabilities. Sometimes September 20 is a bit hot. I sowed rye on Sep 21 this year. If you don't follow the calendar, you could end up caught by short, cold days and never get a good harvest. Maybe a really good farmer is able to combine the calendar with a good listening ear and heart that is flexible to the uniqueness of the year.
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