Farm School Summer Series Week Four

As the temperatures climb,

the variety of crops we can grow decreases.

For the most part, the heat and humidity 

are not a friend to the garden.

We managed to get a few things done nonetheless.

I was thrilled to see that every pot of okra 

that we sowed last weekend germinated.

Hot dog!

We are on a roll, people.

Lynn pointed out to me that once the okra reaches this size,

the worry about pests becomes diminished.

In fact, it's so happy right now,

it's sprouting new veggies.

On this plant, you can see the set of "true" leaves growing.

They're the jagged looking ones in the middle.

The first leaves to emerge are called cotyledons.

They initially feed the plant 

until the "true" leaves start photosynthesis.

You can read more about the process here.

The beans are doing amazingly well.

They are growing in a shadier area to beat the heat.

 Whaddaya know?

Lynn noted that a few of the bean crops are suffering 

from some sort of copper problem.

Not all plants are affected,

so it's hard to know the cause.

 One of the things we did today 

was to clean up these pots of spent coriander.

We simply removed the dried plants 

and discarded any remaining debris.

They'll be reused for another crop.

A brown widow spider was found alongside one of the pots.

Glad Lynn saw her before she saw him!

Lynn took care to repot this dill which had volunteered.

Each crop is appreciated and treated with respect.

Another task that needed completing was sowing beet seeds.

It's a bit early for growing beets,

but Lynn wants to see if he can stretch the season.

 

The sowing date is marked for each crop.

 Seeds are sown 2 inches apart, so we can fit 8 seeds per pot.

There are no guarantees that they will flourish at this time of year,

but a gal can dream, can't she?

We'll see what happens.

 While resowing green beans,

we used this handy little gizmo 

to keep track of just how many seeds needed replanting.

 The leeks are getting tired of the heat.

(Can anyone relate?)

Most of these will be taken to the farmer's market on Saturday,

but not before I brought a couple home to stock the freezer.

Lynn has some starts for transplanting all ready to go.

There was time to visit a few fascinating specimens.

The pitcher plant that we visited here,

had some new growth and surprises.

This is a carnivorous plant,

and you can see some of its victims inside the pitcher.

This lil' gem looks none too friendly either, huh?

All kinds of treasures lie in wait.

 What a glorious way to spend a morning outside.

It's a privilege to be able to help in any little way I can.

There's plenty more to look forward to...

Check out how Farm School started here.

 







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