Thursday July 07, 2011

Heirloom Breeds & Seeds:
The Joys of Straw

My garden is really coming along.  The 38 tomato plants are all staked.  I remember my grandfather always removing the "suckers".  When I was a kid I thought they were bugs. Now I remove the suckers and have learned that they are new shoots that form at the roots of the plant that can "suck" the energy from growing bigger and more delicious tomatoes. I have even staked my eggplant which are finally beginning to show signs of life.  For a while I thought they were frozen in size.  Now they are growing and offering up flowers - yippee!!

I planted my kale and Swiss chard so it gets morning and midday sun, but ends up shaded as the afternoon passes.  I think they like it  -  they are healthy and productive!!

But the weeds were killing me!  In fact, one day I thought the weeds were winning and then I discovered STRAW.  Not only does the straw make for lovely paths, its golden color offers a juxtaposition to the lush greeness of all the plants.  And, it seemed to be a magnet for the chickens - I only left the gate open for 2 minutes as I went for a glass of water....

Well, it's time for a little harvesting. Happy day.