August 20, 2008

A great way to learn how to deal gracefully with adversity is by taking up farming.  Weather, insects, plant diseases, and weeds often team up to deal fatal blows to some crops.  This year's fatalities include both the spring and fall plantings of peas as well as the spring planting of arugula and spinach.  The late planting of sweet corn is also taking a beating.   Though the plants grew well they silked just in time for the invasion of the striped cucumber beetles and Japanese beetles who all seem to think that corn silk is an uncommon delicacy.  Oh, well - just like the Cubs - there is always next year.

On the other hand, the triumphs make up for the trials.  The farm looks beautiful this year.  I employed a new integrated weed management strategy that included undersowing with clover, stale seedbedding, hoeing out weed seedlings at an early stage, putting down heavy hay mulch, and sowing grass and clover to the pathways.  I have had to pull some weeds by hand but remarkably few (especially compared to the weed fest I had last year!). 

I also seem to be prevailing against the depradations of the Japanese beetles in the edamame crop.  After trying comfrey tea (good fertilizer, bad bug repellant) and garlic and pepper extract (made my eyes water but made no never mind to the beetles), I finally read that spraying canola oil on the plants is a deterrent.  Well, I had no canola oil but did have some old olive oil so I used that, and lo and behold - the beetles went back to muching on the smartweed (they can have it!).

Of course, the greatest triumph of all is being able to eat freshly grown produce that cannot be found anywhere else.  I'm enjoying munching on Mini White cucumbers, Black Prince tomatoes (tonight - panzanella - an Italian bread and tomato salad for dinner - the bread is baking now!), Walla Walla onions, sweet basil, fresh Georgian Crystal garlic, freshly dug Huckleberry potatoes, sweet Raven and Zephyr zucchini, and all the rest of the summer bounty!

Yep - farm living is the life for me!