As is no surprise, it’s hot outside. I’m hot, the dog is hot, the kids are hot, and Seann is pretty hot too 😉

Mostly though, the plants are hot which is awesome and worrisome at the same time. We have a 25′ x 80′ propagation house for the seedlings and had to pull the shade cloth over it in June this year, a month earlier than we normally would have done. It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve lost an entire succession to a scorching hot greenhouse so we water the plant babies at least twice a day in this heat and irrigate the field every other day in one acre blocks so Seann and I pull straws to see who does the water “night shift”. The dust clouds from the tractor stick to your face as you try to out-cultivate the Little Shop of Horror weeds that seem to grow bigger by the second. And your water bottle always seems as though it has a leak in it. It cools off slightly in the evening but the mosquitoes are lurking in the grass, waiting for you to get comfortable and let your guard down before they swarm you.

On the positive side, it means each crop is getting the heat units it needs to grow the glorious food we eat (except those bitter chicories, they hate this sweaty weather). It means we get to watch the beautiful evening dances, put on by the local bats and swallows, liven up the sky as they hone in on those nasty little bloodsuckers. And, lastly, It means we made it past the hurdles to the peak of summer and maybe, just maybe, we got enough in the ground to see us through to spring. 

Until next time,
Farmer Suzy