Friday, 6 September

Hello, fellow farmers!

I’ve been busy with other projects, so haven’t updated in awhile.

The garden is still producing abundant harvests. After having no tomatoes ripening because of all the extra hot weather, I now have trays of tomatoes on every surface.

Did you know that tomato plants do not generally pollinate or ripen fruit when the temperatures are over 85 deg. F? There are exceptions, as some varieties are bred to deal with heat, but most will hold their green fruit stubbornly until the weather cools a bit.

Basil and young lemongrass plants need to wait until there is more space on the table. I don’t want to set up a rabbit buffet! Coming soon: cucumbers and melons.

Go to the squash pages: summer, winter, pumpkin.

I know I said that pepper plants are out of stock. Not quite! I have 3 fully mature and fruiting ‘Caribbean Red’ plants in the house which I may drag out today. They were planted last year in mid summer.

Hungry? Try Once a year spring slaw on the prep & cook page.

THANK YOU to the farmer who adopted the 2 purple tomatillo plants that needed a good home!

Squashes and cucumbers are growing in the greenhouse. I have transplanted 3 varieties of green basil and one purple. Melons have been planted. Next I will be planting beans and sunflowers.

Planting papers!

A simple idea.
Seeds are glued to paper towels
in the proper spacing.
The paper towel is planted in your garden.

How to use planting papers:

1. Water your garden soil in the planting area.

2. Place the planting paper on the soil.

3. Mist (or water very lightly) the planting paper.

4. Cover the moistened planting paper with 1/4 inch of garden soil or vermiculite and pat it down a little to ensure soil is contacting the seeds.

5. Keep the area moist until the seeds sprout.
   (Radishes sprout fairly quickly; carrots take longer. Be patient and keep the area moist.)

Quick to plant.
No thinning!
No spilled seeds.

I used the cheapest paper towels so that they will break down easily.
The seeds are glued to the towel with washable glue.

Planting paper seed varieties:

Carrot ‘Mokum’ 56 days. If you appreciate fresh carrots, you must try this one! Crisp, yet very easy to munch. So brittle and delicate, in fact, that it has to be hand dug, as it cannot withstand mechanical harvesting. Enjoy Mokum as a baby carrot or as a full-size 6-8 inch tasty treat. Very rich in vitamin A and high in sugars. Striking orange roots with contrasting thick dark green tops. It's still the finest fresh-eating carrot we know. Nantes type. (Territorial Seed)

Carrot ‘Purplesnax’ 70-75 days. The newest member of the Snax carrot family, Purplesnax has a sweet and mellow flavor that makes it a superb variety for enjoying fresh. The lean Imperator roots reach 8-9 inches long with a dazzling combination of color: purple outside and a golden interior. If you’ve had purple carrots that tend to bolt, try Purplesnax, as they stand up longer in the garden. (Territorial Seed)

Radish ‘Donato’ 21 days. New! Early, mildew resistant, and reliable. Our first downy mildew-resistant radish. Donato has consistently performed well in trials, holding its round shape and quality even during warm, summer weather. Earlier and with better field-holding ability than Crunchy King. Crisp and mild with a hint of sweetness. (Johnny’s Selected Seeds)

Extra-early and refined.

Radish ‘Rover’ 21 days. Rover matures early, holds well in the field, and produces fewer oval radishes under heat stress than other varieties. Extremely uniform and attractive. Roots are smooth and dark red with crisp, white flesh. Very widely adapted. (Johnny’s Selected Seeds)

I’ve been busy transplanting: little tomato plants from groups in mini loaf pans to 4 inch pots — 216 tomatoes. Also transplanted 63 tomatillos. Next I’ll be transplanting the smaller group of dwarf tomatoes.

The tomato plant page is up! All 2024 varieties that will be offered on the farm table are listed.

WILLS FARM welcomes three new future laying hens

More updating needed! The chicks are laying now! Cute little 45 gram practice eggs. Someone is producing double yolks! (Don’t have an ID on that one yet.)

Soon I need to deconstruct the micro barn and encourage the new chickens (Ruth Carol, Sybil and Tia) to move into the big barn with Margaret and Quinn.

I may leave it as an open structure for a “hang out” mostly out of the weather.

The chicklets moved to the pen with their new micro barn yesterday. At first they huddled in one tiny corner while the older hens commented loudly. It wasn’t long before they commenced exploring, finding their new food source, happily cheeping and looking at the giant hens next door.

It was all fun and games until bedtime when the cheeping became strident. “WHERE IS OUR FAMILIAR DOG CRATE? WE ARE GETTING COLD!”

I had to force them into the micro barn where there is lots of fluffy bedding, and they eventually discovered their lizard heat lamp (no light) and a big heating panel. I also put a battery candle in there to help them adjust to the new scene.

All survived the night.

Birds like vegetables, too! (But not as much as rabbits..)

Rabbits also like vegetables!

Remember to protect your vegetable plants from rabbits. They really enjoy fresh greens.

For snap pea support, I’m trying a new thing this year — layers of horizontal 4 inch netting. I was reading comments at Tomatoville that mentioned production being higher for both peas and tomatoes using that method. I’ll be setting up tomato plants the same way using 6 inch netting.

Harvest 2023

For the first time last year I carefully recorded my harvest. You may be surprised at the numbers. (I was.)