Checking in

It's been a very wet June. With two weeks left, it's in the top five for wettest months. Please hang in there - better times will come.

The manure pile has been taken down and scattered down the path on the right. This weekend, we'll get in and cover that spot up with ground cover and plant corn.
If you want a row of corn for your very own, let us know. Corn pollinates best when it's fairly close together, so for the past few years, we've had the single, communal plot. If you want a row, it's yours to water and harvest.

The pump is working. It's a slog, but it works. Thanks to the DPW folks for getting that in order.

A note about neatness. Please make sure the tools and the wagon are returned to the spot next to the gate when you are done. Pull the plastic liner out of the wagon and set it upside down on the ground - it helps prevent mosquitoes. Watering cans should be on the stakes set up for them - it keeps them organized and they don't blow away. The water jugs in the wooden box should be refilled when you're done with them and kept in the wooden box. Weeds get tossed into the compost pile to the left of the path on the way out.  Thanks so much for your help on this.

Rainy this weekend ... and manure pile update!

So, not the greatest weather forecast for this weekend, but the weather has been glorious for plants for the past week or so. All that sun and rain has meant a growth spurt for all those seeds and baby plants. It might not be super-enjoyable to be at the garden for most of the weekend but wet soil does present some opportunities.

National Weather Service forecast for 6-7 through 6-9

1. Wet soil makes it a ton easier to pull weeds. Those tiny weeds that tend to entwine roots with your plants will be much easier to pull out in the moist soil. It's much less likely to disturb the "good" plants this way. 
2. If you wait until after the rain, it's a good time to apply things like neem oil and other organic pest repellents. The rain washes off the bugs and the pests, but can promote fungus. So after the rain is a great time to apply organic solutions because you're working with the weather. 

One thing we're planning to do this weekend is to try to take the manure pile down and spread it around the unused areas in the garden. We might focus on the last 20 feet on the right side, which is the likely spot for an opt-in corn plot later this summer. Please let us know if you'd like us to leave you a little -- but we do need the pile to come down.