Mid Summer Abundance

It's that point in the summer where the yields are high, the bugs are still under control and we are suddenly in a state of abundance mainly due to more than adequate rainfall. The key is how to maximize use while minimizing waste. Easier said than done. The tomatoes are just starting to come in but the squash, cucumbers, chard, beets, and onions are really rolling. That means lots of stir fries, salads and what ever else we can whip up on short notice.

The lettuce is on temporary hiatus having been in constant production since Memorial Day weekend until just this past week. The 50% shade cloth made a huge difference in the summer heat so we are starting new seedlings to establish a new system for mid summer under that cover. It was not until we had to buy a few bags of so-called baby gourmet lettuce at the store this week that we realized just how well we have had it and just how sub-par the commercial offerings are compared to home-grown! In the next week or so we will be starting seedlings for our fall crops and believe me we will be pulling out all of the stops this year to extend our harvest into the fall and early winter. There is just no substitute for home-grown produce. 

The other big news this week was the long-awaited laying of the keel for the chicken tractor. The design of this thing has been under development since February. There is still a lot to do and much of this project is design on the fly and quick-fix engineering. We really needed the frame to be constructed in order to see how to flesh-out the rest of the structure. Right now it is looking like we will have a hen house of approximately 36" X 45" with a back slanted roof 64" at the front peak and an external set of nesting boxes so we can easily collect eggs and maximize interior space. The open forage area will be 4' X 12' and we plan to devote most of the back yard to this contraption. Once the grass goes dormant for the winter, we will park the tractor in the garden; seeding a section in winter rye just for it. The big unknown will be whether to attempt getting pullets for the fall or wait until spring before establishing the chickens.