open

there is asparagus up and running in my back yard...

so since i had some time i wandered over to campus to open the asparagus bed just to see what was what...

there was a bit of frost on the fabric and when i pulled it up it did not seem as though there was much going on...at first...

a closer look showed there was a spear of asparagus that had broken the soil surface...recently given its soil hat...

and over in the southwest corner the alfalfa is beginning to green up...a successful transplant there...

there was no green in the southeast corner...the plant was basically sitting on top of the soil...i would suspect frost heave had pushed it up...

however, when i pulled it up the roots were still supple and moist...

so, since there is some hope for a recovery, i dug a deeper hole and replanted it firmly...we wil be looking at this over the next few weeks to see if the plant can bounce back...they can do that at times...reference the saga of puddles the wheat plant here in this blog from a few years ago...

that done, i turned the back of the bed in an effort to discourage "native growth"...i will be planting back there before the end of the month...i have so sed for emmer and einkorn wheat and will likely throw some barley into the mix...a bed of grain i think is in order...more when we check in on the alfalfa.

there seems to be no escaping spuds anymore

the lawn at the campus garden is making it clear that there has been rain of late...we will see how long that keeps up...

rain or not this asparagus is dying back and it is far too early for that...i am uncertain of what is up here...the spear is not broken so there must be something else at work...the rest seems to be fine...this too we will wait and see about...

the spuds are looking well...

the soil is moist up to the surface...so no watering...

some of the spuds have finished up...so...

there was a harvest...

three plants...two pounds two ounces of tubers...and a few drops to plant...and i left the smallest ones in the bed as volunteers...

an important correspondent to this blog will be pleased at the alfalfa's continuing disdain...

it is still blooming away...

and attracting visitors...

however many of the blooms have gone to seed...

and i do not think all the yellow in the leaves is from overwatering...there are early hints of autumn in the air...

irrespective of what event time is hinting at the alfalfa still stubbornly goes about the business of establishing new stands around the garden...another determined perennial.

rain ( sort of )

it was raining when i got to the garden this morning...

and the lawn there certainly needs some...however, let's be clear...

it was more of a drizzle than a rain and there was about five hundredths of an inch of it in my rain gauge when i got home...so...

even though the soil surface appeared moist ( because it was )...

just below the surface it was desperately dry...

so i watered in the rain...

my "official" bed looks good...

my most important correspondent will note the alfalfa's recalcitrance regarding limits...

it is in full bloom which helps the bees...

some carolina horse nettle has bloomed as well...

the spuds behind the asparagus are looking happy...

and one of them is pondering a bloom or two as well...

and, finally, i do not recall ever seeing an asparagus spear do a three hundred and sixty degree turn before..alwways something new in the garden.

10 june 2023

it is in the eighties ( fahrenheit...somewhere in the upper twenties for the rest of you ) which is about the sort of weather the tesointe and maize ( and something has been rooting around in both...i have replanted maize...tesointe may have to ride out its fate this season )...so here are some photos of the relatives...

teosinte...

maize...

teosinte...

maize...hopefully they will reach maturity...there are no guarantees...elsewhere back there...

guess where some pumpkin shells were composted last autumn...

the everbearing strawberries are ever blooming...

the mulberries are still green...and still growing in size...

the concord grapes in the fir trees are coming along well...

as are the seedless grapes on the trellis...

and the alfalfa continues to bloom in anticipation of the bees' arrival this month...there's more...the jerusalem artichokes are still relentless and the chinese yams are defying them, while the new york import wild strawberries have set about escaping them...the asparagus is in full flower...

and being mugged by the bumblebees...there's mooseberry...and ramps...onions and more...we will get to that soon enough.