Mowing and Mulching

On Saturday, Rene brought his reel mower over so Rick C could mow the glen. The grass had gotten too high, and unfortunately this mower doesn't do the edges well at all either. I'll get to work on putting brick mow strips around the sod so we don't have a shaggy mess.

Buddy gets into the act.

Then Rick and Rene work on the pad for the firepit

And spread mulch up to the pad's edge.  

We got a lot more mulch spread around, and the pile is still large. Here's another bug to identify. It's quite shiny and iridescent.

And the cherries are starting to barely ripen.

The typical El Nino year spring weather continues. The weekend was sunny and even hot, but the nights are still cool. Then last night it rained really hard, and the forecast says more rain through tomorrow. Then it's cloudy for a couple days, and sunny again on the weekend. The night temps are still in the mid 40s, so the tomatoes and peppers are still in the greenhouse, fattening up. We're eating snow peas and lots and lots of lettuce, plus leeks, the last of the mustard greens, and an occasional spring onion.

Lettuce did really well, and would have even in a hotter, drier spring. We've got to plant simply oodles starting next fall, and stagger them a bit more. The chickens are growing, and the tractor is working great for them. We've noticed that they cluck more like hens now, instead of peeping like chicks. They should start laying mid to late July.

I will be starting a little more squash, then I'm about done seeding until the July seeding for fall crops. Except for direct seeding of course. Rick C and I are both working hard on our home beds. This is that perfect window of opportunity: after the rains but before it gets too hot. Rick C has transplated his peppers in his yard already, but I know it's still too early. It's just easy to get impatient at this time of year. And of course, at the farm, we need to finish the spring eating before we even think about putting in summer crops.

I'd like to clear one more bed at the farm, along the back of the house (but out from it by 10 feet or so), so we can plant flowers to shade and hide the back of the house, and to provide cut flowers as well.