Summer Break – Update #7
A busy day today here on the farm and in front of the computer. Not only have I found time to post here, I sent out an email update to my subscribers. You too can subscribe to my email list simply by calling or emailing your request to be added. My email can be found on the top right of my homepage or click “About Tonopah Rob” and look for my email and phone number at the bottom of the page.
In today’s photo you can see me plant seeds with ease. This handy dandy seeder has saved me countless hours the past couple of weeks as root crops and greens are planted in seconds. I fill the hopper in the center of this device and I can hardly believe the seeds are being set down correctly in neat rows, it all goes so fast. But soon the hopper is empty and the seeds have disappeared into the earth, only to sprouting within days – amazing! You may think an experienced farmer has all the answers, but we too are in the learning process. I’m guessing that the germination rate is going so quickly and successfuly due to the seed being planted at the precise depth that has been recommended. Now if only all my plots were long enough to plant this way. Although, I will have to gauge just how well this has done once harvest begins as I won’t know for some time yet how this crop spacing works out in regards to insects, varmin, and other pests.
Speaking of pests, as I told customers in my emailing, the bugs and critters for some reason seem to have disappeared for now. A pair of wild cats have moved in on to my property and have raised a family of kittens, three to be exact. I kept one and gave two away to the neighbor. It seems as if they are keeping the squirrel population down to manageable numbers. The grasshoppers? Where are they? I don’t know. I’ve seen maybe two or three small hoppers. Last year at this time with every step I took fifty grasshoppers would fly away from me. The farm was infested. Thinking that would be a similar situation again this season, I began planting new crops in August and much to my surprise I have not had to re-plant once. Cucumber vines are four feet long, green beans are flowering, broccoli is 6 inches tall as are the beets. Onions are nearly a foot high and the garlic is poking through the rich dark soil.
