Abit Corny



The best invention ever! I love this little scoot along cart.
So far it has proved absolutely essential for punching drippers,
planting transplants, and quite frankly doing any thing
else that I don't want to have to bend over to do!



Well, I finally got to it..I planted more sweet corn. I had been stalling more than just a bit, because I absolutely resent punching drippers, but the promise of red, golden, and variegated ears of delicious sweet corn prompted me to get into gear. Plus, as a side note I have gotten pretty fast at dripper punching after putting in nearly 400 of them! I made sure, and planted the corn in a block this time, instead of planting it in one long row like the first  one... ooops. Live, and learn right? Anyway, one 10' x 3 row wide block of Ruby Queen Hybrid sweet corn is in. I'm going to plant some Silver Queen Hybrid tomorrow. Then over the next couple of weeks I will plant some more Silver Queen, and Kandy Korn Hybrid. I'm going to try to stagger the plantings so that I will have more consistent production. We'll see how well it works . I'm just hoping that I get a better germination rate than I did with that first row. I think I planted too early for sweet varieties last time. Soil was too cold, and the seed rotted. Same problem with the beans. The fall garden is going to be sooo much more organized! I can't wait. 

Yesterday we had our first harvest out of the garden! One very, VERY, large Kohlrabi! I have never eaten or grown Kohlrabi before, so it was quite a treat. It tastes very much like broccoli hearts. I do believe that we let this one get too big, as it was quite tough!  

The Mega-rabi! The giant leaves make it hard to tell just how huge the center really is!

Something else that you all might find as neat as I did was this Killdeer nest, that was hiding under a tomatillo plant! I've been seeing the Killdeer in the garden every day since I have been home, so I had a feeling that they had a nest somewhere, but I didn't expect to find it under a tomatillo! Maybe that is what has happened to all those pesky insects that I was dealing with earlier this year. I think that it really helps to have the pasture nearby so that they have a safe place to look for goodies. Seeing these little birds calling my garden home definitely makes me feel like I might be doing at least something right. Its a nice thought that I am getting the opportunity to grow food, and make a hospitable environment for natives at the same time!

The beautiful speckled eggs of the Killdeer. According to what I was reading yesterday, killdeer are insectivores that tend to like to nest in slight depressions in the ground. They are technically a shore bird, although they generally live far from water. Their range is from Canada all the way south to Peru!