Hail - Oh No!

Once the fence was up, we became quite busy prepping the soil, installing drip tape, black mulch, erecting low tunnels, transplanting, seeding and weeding.  We are working with a new seeder and it has taken a few runs to make it work for our desired spacing and for each different seed.

We started transplanting during Carolyn's visit.  Here is Becky at work with the transplants.   

Carolyn and Becky help Myron string up transplants:

Dena with the little tractor and trailer (yes, must keep the sun off tender skin, and I love my 20+ year old Panama hat), Myron putting up the arches for the low tunnels:

Used through mid-June, the low tunnels protected plants from hail and from low night temperatures:

Since then we have planted corn, carrots, beans, onions, cucumbers, turnips, beets, kale and spinach, eggplants, Big Jim peppers, sweet peppers, rosemary, french tarragon, lavender, garlic, borage, poppies, sunflowers, bee balm, okra, kohlrabi, broccoli, as well as transplanted another nine rows of tomato varieties.

How exciting to see the first tomatoes on the vine:

There are still more plants and seeds to get into the ground.  The weather, however, often has other plans.  One day, shortly after the eggplants were in, I was desperate to get to town for water, ice and some groceries.  I met dad and Myron on the road coming back from working on the new water line for Becky and Mike's house.  Just after seeing them, I drove right into a fierce thunderstorm with lightening, thunder, hail and flash flood rain.  Slowly making my way to town at about 20 MPH or less, I pulled over at the water station.  I finally realized that the power was out, after numerous attempts to get the machine to take my money.  I moved on to the grocery store.  Their power was also out and they were only taking cash and local checks.  No food for me today.  I drove the back roads to another water station.  It was a bit stressful with muddy water rushing across roads, but I did not want this trip to town to be a perfect waste of time and gas.  I was drenched, but ultimately found myself heading home with R.O. water and two bags of ice!

Returning home on Highway 37 between Juniper Springs and Cora Dutton Roads, the hail was so thick on the ground it looked like snow on the hills and along the highway.  My heart sunk and I prayed that all our plants were spared as we had already removed our low tunnels.  Myron was out in the field as I drove up.  He said there was very little hail at the farm but the rain and wind had been strong.  He was checking for broken plants - but all fared well.  Even the newly transplanted eggplants looked as if they were saying "yeah, bring it on!"

We are now enduring a long stretch of hot weather.  The plants love it, as long as they get water.  Not so fun to work under out in such conditions.

A view of the garden from the road.  The sweet corn and tomatoes dominate the picture as opposed to the smaller plants such as carrots and beets:

A view of the farm from the east:

Only a few more rows to plant.  We know we are late this year, but better late than never.

We will post on this blog when we start picking, and what we are picking.