I’ve fallen off the bandwagon. Again, sorry to say. And, as usual, there are no excuses.
I got on in earnest excitement. New projects, particularly those that involve new experiences, offer appealing opportunities for self improvement. And you start up strong, you show up and get it done. Standing somewhere in the middle right now, the glow of purposeful happiness still shining, I wonder where I fell apart. Of course it’s never an exact moment. More peaceful Pollyanna than drama queen, my life failings trickle in like a roof leak rather than a home-destroying tornado.
But in this case, I can pinpoint it. Microsoft Excel spreadsheets are damning in their record keeping; June 1st marks my fall as clearly as an empty bottle bedside come morning. Organization, my friends, remains my Everest, disorganization my cigarettes. I got in a bit of a rhythm; after starting seeds in accordance to a brilliantly designed worksheet (by yours truly), I found myself naturally sowing in new seeds and starts as the soil temperature and plant hardiness presented itself. Trouble is, I didn’t write that all down. Last frost date . . . anyone?
Then it became as easy as planting after clearing and prepping more land. Again, didn’t write all that down. The miracle of plant and bug life grew daily, blinding me to the smart farmers’ notation techniques usually employed should one hope to achieve improved results the following year. The lettuces cycled through nicely, chard went berserk, beets grew faster than . . . here is when trouble brushed between my brown palms. Not enough carrots! I love carrots, but hadn’t planted enough sequences of them to compensate for the particularly strong deluges rivuleting them away from their planned abodes.
Head spinning with veggie abundances, freezing and canning, I continue the intuitive planting cycle. Michael concocts weekly inside ‘to-do’ lists, requesting that beyond writing these posts, I do research relevant to this land (see future posts on tax assessments, agricultural zoning and easements). The carrot issue continued; joined by another friend, priorities shifted to ‘what should we get done with the extra muscle?’ Wood cutting, obviously.
With several cords split and stacked, I jumped the log pile, heading straight for veggie land. A freshly dug and sifted 10′x6′x14″ bed is now at working solving my carrot issue. Helpful gardener newsletters, such as Johnny’s selected seeds, write that carrots need to be planted by August in order to have them by fall harvest and potentially carry through the winter (heavily mulched). We’ll see how I do; I planted August 14th. Note to Excel planting worksheet – this web site entry counts as documentation!
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