2012 On the plains in Northern Arizona, two families joined forces and
began the trials and tribulations of building a small family farm with
nothing in the bank but love.
Tortuga Thursday
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| Can't help thinking he'd do his job better if he could hoot. |
This week flew by. My to-do list barely took a hit. I've been doing a lot of weeding. I know. I know. You heard me complain about this task last year. It's a bit different this year. Since we no longer flood between rows, we aren't over come with weeds in between. Good thing. The ground is harder between the rows and tougher to weed. The new drip system on the rows targets the plants. The weeds love it too. Unfortunately, one of the lessons we learned last year, we forgot. Some of the rows should be covered after the seeds are sowed and until the vegetables are established. That cuts down on the those air born weed seeds. Next year - well, third time's the charm. We'll remember. So, we had to wait until the plants were big enough to distinguish from the weeds. Which means lots of weeds. Lance has been spending more hours than I have. Once we get the whole field done, upkeep will be easier on the bigger plants.
The radishes are big enough to pick. Those guys are fast producers. The new sweet potato slips arrived and
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| Peas and the drip tape |
they were beautiful. Lance got them in the ground the day they arrived. In the green house, we have leafy greens that can start showing up on our table this week. Yea!
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| First trip - to the dealer for service. |
Two pieces of bad news this week and one is already fixed. The RV had a propane leak. Frank hooked it up and took it for the first time on the road to the dealer. They supposedly fixed it and sent him home. Within a couple of hours I smelled it worse than before. This time Frank took the hoses apart and found the real problem. Fixed. My faith in that dealership continues to dive. Second piece of bad news is the vet says Rusty needs $300 worth of dental work. I'm balking on this one. Yes, I can see his gums are red in the back but he eats anything and everything. Wouldn't he be having trouble if they're that bad? Can't we brush and water pick his teeth to health? We'll have this debate for a couple of days. I need to find the time to do some doggy teeth research.
Sadi Belle has learned what her hands are for and grabs at things with
some accuracy. She pulled her bear over on top of herself and that
registered surprise. So much fun to watch her grow.
It's been mighty hot on Tortuga Flats. I'm usually out of the sun by 10:00. I don't know how Lance does it for so many hours a day. But then I remember when he was not yet two years old, and we left our cement surrounded apartment for a trip to Yosemite. The first thing he did was plop down in the dirt with a big grin on his face and said "I love
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| Hollyhocks are blooming |
dirt!"
So glad you found that propane leak! and got it fixed. I may not stop by all that often but I do enjoy following your journey and adventures.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Judith. Glad to see you whenever!
DeleteYou've been busy busy!
ReplyDeleteI spent most of the afternoon in my own garden, which is substantially smaller than yours! I've been mulching around my plants to keep the weeds to a minimum, but I did not mulch in the area that I had not yet planted in. I went the lazy route today and just turned the dirt! Hopefully the mulch will smother them and they'll turn to compost in time. :)
My 20 month old tripped and accidentally knocked over about 8 plants in starter pots today! Tomatoes and a jalapeno pepper plant I was hardening off. I said, now or never, and managed to salvage them and put them in the ground! Fingers crossed they survived that baby!
That Sadi Belle is too sweet! It's amazing how fast they grow :( Before you know it she'll be trampling the plants in the garden!
At least your 20 month old didn't start consuming them before you got them up. LOL I weeded today until my fingers hurt. We're talking over how to make this even easier next year - whether to invest in the plastic covers or if the white cloth row covers we already have could be spread and poke holes to plant. Not sure. Meanwhile, we weed.
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