Back Online: Where I've Been

It seems that every time there's a thunderstorm around here, the power goes out and something gets fried.  Well, we've been without internet connectivity for a few weeks now, and it has felt like an eternity.  I'll bring you up to speed on what's been happening on the farm, and I'll go into detail in the next several posts.  So now, an update:

The High Tunnel is Up!

The crew from Puckett's Greenhouses came out and erected the 30' x 72' structure in about four days.  I was so excited that I started planting beneficial flowers around it to attract pollinators as soon as the trucks pulled away.  I dug up some Cleome, Black Eyed Susan, Iris, Sedum, Purple Coneflower, and Bee Balm from my favorite neighbor's yard and transplanted it.  I also put in some Oriental Poppies, Lavender,  and Meadow Sage.  I've got some Agrostemma and Blue Flax in the greenhouse that's not quite ready to transplant yet.  I hope to have three sides of the high tunnel surrounded with beneficials (the fourth side is right next to a blueberry row).

We'll be putting strawberries in the high tunnel next spring.  We really wanted to plant them this fall, but we've had a hell of a time finding a supplier of bare root plants that will have enough of the right varieties in stock this September, and we also want to have plenty of time to get the soil exactly right.  I sent some soil samples to Virginia Tech a few weeks ago, and the soil is pretty acidic (great for the blueberries, not so great for strawberries.)  And in plain terms, the soil is nothing but bright red Virginia clay.  I rototilled in there, and Ben was kind enough to lay down chicken manure.  We're going to truck in some "good dirt" from the mountain and build up the beds with that.  We'll let the dirt and manure sit in there under some straw all fall and winter.  Come spring, I think the worms will have found their way into the high tunnel, and the strawberries will have a nice home awaiting them.

The strawberries under the high tunnel will come in earlier than other strawberries, and we'll be selling them at about the same time our asparagus comes up.  We'll also grow some strawberries outside of the tunnel.  This way, we'll have a longer season.

We've Eaten Our First Tomato of the Year

Red Brandywine

This is ever so important.  I had been fantasizing about juicy, aromatic, vivacious tomatoes for months now.  It has happened!  The first one to ripen was a Black Sea Man.  It's similar to a Cherokee Purple in appearance and flavor, and it's extremely tasty.


Black Sea Man


Speckled Roman

Next, there was a Red Brandywine followed by a Speckled Roman.  The yellow tomatoes (Moonglow and Persimmon) are still green.  It's a good thing we have all of our canning supplies ready to go - we'll need it sooner than later.

The Ladies Are Lovely

All chickens are doing well.  They all officially have names now (details to come soon), but I've grown particularly close to one of them.  We enjoy happy hour almost every day.

Ben's parents gave us an enormous watermelon last week that must have weighed about 25 pounds.  The fur kids ate some (it's Thurgood's favorite next to sweet potatoes), the humans had a bit, and the rest of it was shared with the girls during happy hour over the next few days.  I eat the fleshiest parts and throw them the seediest pieces.  They don't seem to mind pecking around the seeds (some of them even like the seeds).

It's Almost Blueberry Time

We'll begin picking blueberries in July, and I can't wait.  The dogs have already started trying to eat them off the bush.  My picky boys are so desperate for the fruit that they even tolerate the sour ones.