Farm School Fall Series Week Two

Our ongoing series continues
as the garden progresses.
If you've read "daisy's dream" underneath the header,
you know that one of my steadfast dreams is to be a farmer.
My friends Faye & Lynn are aiding me to that end.
Read about our beginnings here.

It looks tropical,

but our weather is slowly creeping toward more fall-like conditions.

We took a tour of the garden, 

as is customary at the start of our sessions.

The reseeded beets have officially made a comeback.

They look so pretty all in a row.

We transplanted these eggplant just last week

and they seem to be thriving with more room to stretch out.

The lettuce transplants are holding their own.

Last week we covered them with not only shade cloth,

but a plastic tarp to keep the rain from damaging delicate leaves.

Lynn took the plastic off earlier in the week.

The beans were suffering from some type of rust.

They were treated with copper.

This row was treated earlier... 

than this row.
That was an important discovery.

The peas are looking spectacular!

You can't know how excited I am to see these beautiful green gems!

We reseeded where necessary,

but for the most part,

they germinated very well and are growing straight and strong.

The sweetness starts here.

While reseeding, we looked for signs of trouble.

We found it.

The discolored spots on the leaves are the telltale signs of a harboring critter.

Caught red-handed!

Crops are checked regularly for unwanted varmints

and hand-picking is the preferred method of pest control.

The New Zealand spinach seems to have been hosting some type of worm.

They are sometimes found under the plastic covers where they lurk until discovered.

We planted more of this wonderful lettuce substitute.
Lynn had soaked the seed for about 24 hours.

The soil inside the premade hole was scratched to loosen it up.

These tweezers aid in precision planting.

The seed is planted with the pointy side down.
We put three seeds in each pot.

The tomato crops are faring well and sporting new flowers.

It was a picture-perfect day for farming.

Mild temperatures and a slight breeze

motivated us to complete many tasks on Lynn's lengthy list.

We harvested, then spread out some basil seeds along the fence row.

We got some lettuce seeds started.

Lynn had prepared these seedling pots before my arrival,

so we were ready to go gangbusters.

They each contain 6 cells

Three seeds to a cell were sown,

for a grand total of 432 possible seedlings.

Somethin's gotta come up!

Having the right tools sure makes the job a cinch.

This is the flower of the carambola tree.
It's also called starfruit.
Read more about it here.

I don't know about anyone else,
but I'm having a blast.
Another season and so much more to learn.
Each week brings new lessons about farming
and added determination to be a part of something bigger than myself.
We're growing food here, people!
What a blessing!


  The Farm School series starts here.