Playing catchup

Not the variety in the squeeze bottle.  If the weather will only cooperate and not dump more rain on the NCR this weekend, there is hope for some needed planting to be done.  The peppers need to go out and few more tomatoes.  Seeding beans, basil, cilantro and other warm season crops would be nice, and of course there are the weeds to be thought of.  If there is ever a time when I consider abandoning the garden for the summer, this is it.  I know now I can never have the garden I imagined this past winter.  The combination of cold and dry with cold and wet and now hot and wet have either damaged or foreclosed many of the crops I had hoped to grow.  Of course there is still a good chunk of gardening season left, so despair is not an option.  I just need to adjust to the new reality.  That's my story and I'm sticking with it at least until Monday. 

Warm for the weekend

Things still look pretty saturated here on the NCR, but the next few days promise to be warmer and drier, so I'll be optimistic about the weekend.  If I can keep the weeds at bay and find enough ground that can be worked I'll get the peppers and some more tomatoes in and the squash and cuke transplants.  More lettuce, etc. should go out, and I expect the sweet potato slips in the mail any day now.  It will be an interesting couple of weeks in the garden coming up.  Meanwhile, the silly season is in full swing in our nation's capital.  The not so loyal opposition is mightily stirring the scandal pot with plenty of assistance from FOX and whatever media that didn't learn from the last nothingburgers served up by the Republicans in the 90s.  Good news that Obamacare is actually working in California is being buried on page 20 of newspapers or during commercials on cable.  If Congress was a garden, it would be well fertilized with all the B.S. that is currently being dumped, especially in the House of Representatives.

more wetter

More showers predicted today and it looks like the weekend will feature occasional showers also.  Temps in the 80s and 90s and rain showers on saturated ground is a menu for disease and insect problems.  What a nightmare. 

Wet and wetter

One or two drying days after the deluge does not begin to take care of the amount of drying that needs to be done before any meaningful work can begin in the garden.  A quick check of  conditions yesterday left me sunk to the tops of my work boots with no bottom.  Today will be better, but the forecast for tomorrow calls for more rain.  I can only hope the roots don't start to rot on transplants.  I was able to seed more lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, etc. in seedbeeds.  I also transplanted same into some vacant cold frames.  So, even if the present crops don't make it, there will be continuity. 

Summertime?

After the drenching we got from Thursday to Sunday (I estimate somewhere between 5 and 6 inches of rain here on the NCR)  Mother Nature decided to remind us that while it may be Memorial Day, we are still in the North Country.   Last night, the temp. dipped to 33 in Plattsburgh.  I believe we were slightly warmer in Peru, but still too cold for this time of year.  This day promises sunshine and slightly warmer temps than we have had recently, but working in the garden today and probably tomorrow would do more harm than good with the wet conditions.  It will take several dry days to get the soil dry again.  Low spots are still under water.  I would guess we are at least a week behind after this inundation.   Certainly any grower who hasn't finished planting corn will be fighting to get it in before it is too late.  There is still time for soybean growers, but the wet cool weather is keeping soil temps too low for good germination even if drying conditions improve.  Of course the Weather Service is predicting 90 degrees this coming Saturday, so as we say in the farming, we'll reach our average.

From Drought to drenched

Rainy and cold weather is predicted through the holiday weekend.  The garden will be left to the rapidly germinating weed seeds and the voracious flea beetles which are decimating the cole crops.  I know it seems gardeners and farmers are among the least satisfied people in the world.  It's always too wet or too dry, too cold or too hot.  Successive weeks like the past two tend to confirm this world view.  I have no idea what next week will do, but it has to be better than what we've had lately.  That's the most optimistic I can be at this point.

Tiptoeing through the showers

As usual, it seems like I was able to accomplish quite a bit yesterday, but not enough.  The potatoes and most of the tomatoes are in and I was able to plant some basil (in cold frames), carrots and spinach.  The showers re-appeared by 4:30, so that was the end of gardening for the day.  The forecast is for more of the same today.  I need to resist the temptation to transplant the summer squash until Monday, since temps here on the NCR are going to range from low 40s to low 50s for highs over the next few days.  The Memorial Day festivities in the North Country will be conducted in jackets and sweatshirts.  I promise to remember the brave men and women who have given their service and in many cases their lives for America.  I will also contemplate the economic and physical empire which has necessitated the sacrifices asked of a credulous population which has in many cases internalized the propaganda put out by the state.   Too often we allow the waving of the flag and cries of "American exceptionalism" to blind us to the naked aggression our country's policymakers and their corporate sponsors use to bully the rest of the world.  I would hope an increasingly educated population sees the bloated defense budget for what it really is, the means to intimidate and control our global neighbors.  To conflate our servicepeoples' sacrifices with the foreign policy which causes that loss of life and limb is a shameful example of what empires throughout history have done to their citizens.  I will remember the nobility of the former and I will not forget the perfidy of the latter.

Rainy days

A couple of heavy thunderstorms passed through the NCR last night and brought some much needed rain.  I haven't checked the total yet (I still can't find my rain gauge), but it felt like we got at least a few tenths which is more than what we've had in some time.  Now the race will be on.  I need to get plantings of everything from potatoes to basil in the ground so I can turn my attention to the weed problem.  Weed pressure has not been too bad until now, but in the next week it will explode.  Meanwhile, more showers are predicted through tomorrow, so I will be sidelined from planting.  It looks like a very busy weekend coming up.

Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping

There are many places in the US I would not choose to live.  Oklahoma is near the top of the list.  Yesterday's tornado was a reaffirmation of that choice.  So much devastation and grief.  I guess the people who have lived many happy years in the town of Moore and nearby Ok city can rationalize the terror and heartbreak of the twister which flattened their cities (one observer likened it to 2 mile wide lawnmower), but I wonder what they think in their private moments.  The requisite stories of people helping people will be highlighted to show how warm and generous the community is.  However, the same people will deny medical care to the poor on a regular basis and elect lunatics like Imhofe and his ilk to our national legislature.   I'm sure the same congressmen who voted against aid for NY and NJ after superstorm Sandy will now be bellying up to the Federal trough and pleading for as much aid as possible.  I hope they get it.

Water and genetics

While it seems a stretch to connect the increasing use of GMOs (genetically modified organisms) and the increasing scarcity of water, two stories reported in the media over the weekend offer a window into the convergence.   Ag giant Simplot in Idaho is getting ready to grow a new variety of potato which while using only genes present in potatoes will suppress the ones that produce black spots after bruising.  This will enable the suppliers of Mickey Ds to avoid the cuts they receive for bruised spuds.  A Canadian company is planning to release a genetically modified apple which won't turn brown after peeling and cutting.  That may be a harder sell, as many apple producers oppose this modification since it will make most varieties obsolete overnight as processers scramble to get supplies of this miracle.  The other big story, which many of us in the agriculture business have seen coming is the decimation of the Ogallala aquifer.  This is the huge pool of underground water which sustains agricultural activity and society in general in a huge swath of the American heartland.  As the water disappears, there will be increased pressure on science to come up with more exotic genetic solutions for plants to grow virtually without irrigation in increasingly hostile conditions.  The temptations to use genetic material from other sources will become overwhelming when the payoff for truly drought proof corn will be worth billions.  I don't know where it will all end, but the chances are it will not be a good outcome for us or the planet.

Weekend plantings

Although way too dry, the weather should be great for planting here on the NCR.  Highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s will be good for peppers, tomatoes and squash, as well as the cool season veg like spinach and kale.  The asparagus has slowed down due to the light frost on the 15th and the spinach is slow to mature.  Weed pressure is beginning to be felt and the first real rain will cause a population explosion.  It is going to be a busy 48 hours.

Scandal du Jour

After 5 years of pursuing every whiff of scandal in one of the most squeaky clean administrations in modern times, the republicans and their media enablers seem to have hit paydirt.  With the revelations concerning the IRS and the Justice dept. subpoenas for calling records of AP reporters there is some real red meat to replace the fauxtrage concerning BENGHAZI.  We can now look forward to months of hypocritical posturing by congresscritters who were untroubled by the same gambits used by the Shrub and his henchmen.  Unfortunately, the forthright statements by the President and his call for bi-partisan support to correct any abuses will probably dull the public's enthusiasm for firebreathing histrionics.  Of course the mouthbreathers who populate the FOX news universe will just look at the new hearings as more proof of the perfidity of democrats in general and the Kenyan Muslim Socialist in particular.  Meanwhile, the rest of us are interested in social justice, the economy and immigration reform, all of which will probably get short shrift during a long hot summer of increasingly shrill hearings which will yield plenty of heat and not much light.

Ethical eating

As the Divine Mrs. M and I struggle with vegetarian menus and the temptations of flesh, it seems that even parts of the plant kingdom are under attack by agribusiness.  GMO (genetically modified organism) seeds are making more and more inroads in American diets.  Just trying to stay informed about what foods contain modified genetic material is becoming harder and harder.  Unlike the European Union, the US has very lax regulation of so called "frankenfoods".  There is no real evidence of nutritional problems with these foods, so far.  However, there has been very little long term studies of the results of eating foods made with genetically modified components.  Of course, livestock has been chowing down on Roundup ready corn and soybeans for years.  Since we stand at the apex of the food chain, we or our meat eating descendants will be the ultimate test for GMO foods.   The ethics of putting profits ahead of people is well documented throughout our history, but the scale and sheer  immorality of this present experiment is staggering.  So far, most vegetables have not been modified, but I think if the economic incentive is there, we will see modifications to resist frost, drought, insects and the other scourges of growers.  What price will the rest of us pay for the profit and convenience these plants may or may not provide.

Not Frost Proof

Beware the Ides of May, or so it would appear if you have frost sensitive plants outdoors this morning.   It was around 30 degrees in my little corner of the world this morning and unless the plants in question were close enough to a building to be within its heat reflection, there will be some damage, I am thinking.  Anyone who planted tomatoes and peppers last weekend will be unhappy, even if they were protected, they will be set back by the chilly soil temperatures.  In my experience, weather like this will actually set back plants that are outdoors more than waiting an extra week in the cold frame and then transplanting.  The jury will be out on damage to fruit tree blossoms for a few weeks.  I'm sure the local orchardists can tell within a day or two if there is damage, but I will know when the blossoms drop and the actual fruit begins to form.  Or not.  Ironically, we should get some rain showers this afternoon and evening which obviously would have prevented the frost.  That's just one of the frustrations endured by gardeners in northern climates.

Ducking the freeze

We made it through last night with a little cloud cover and a temp around 37.  We will have another cold shot tonight and then things will moderate for the rest of the week.  That should get us to frost free territory for the remainder of the season.   While the veggies I have out so far are relatively hardy, the cherry and pear trees are most vulnerable right now, so I am hoping for mild night tonight.  It always amazes the non-farmer when they are educated about the risks and pitfalls faced by the average grower.  To paraphrase Jerry, farmers don't need to go to Las Vegas (Or Lost Wages), since they gamble with their livelihoods every day.

Not so merry

This May is rapidly replacing March as the cruelest month.  Drier than normal from the start here on the NCR it is now also cooler than normal with frost predicted for the next couple of nights.  Of course we are in better shape than the capital district and the Hudson valley where freeze warnings are up for most areas.  The farmer's market opened this past weekend and the shoppers were out looking for early asparagus and spinach as well as tomato and pepper transplants.  I hope most of the bedding plant purchasers hold off planting til next week.   My first plantings of beets and carrots finally germinated after nearly a month in the ground along with the third planting of spinach and the first corn of the season.  If we  survive the next 48 hours and get some rain, things will start heading in the right direction.  As always, there are a lot of "ifs" in this gardening and farming thing.

Pennies and showers

According to the song, they both come from heaven.  For growers in this area, a few showers at the right time will mean dollars later this season.  This morning's brief showers will keep my transplanted onions hydrated for another day.  I think some of my early plantings of beets and carrots will have to be replanted because of poor germination due to the excessively dry weather we are still experiencing.   More showers are predicted this weekend.  Unfortunately, frost and cold are also predicted in the wake of the precipitation.  Some commercial growers in this area have begun transplanting peppers.  I hope they have plenty of reemay covers to insulate the crop!  Meanwhile, the pear trees and cherries in the yard are blossoming, as are many apple varieties in the Champlain Valley.  The wind machines will be in use next week, or there will be premature blossom drop in many orchards.  So it goes...

The spring of Republican's discontent

Whether it is bleeding mannequin Obama lookalikes at the NRA convention, the faux outrage of Congressional Republicans about BENGHAZI, or the election of Mark Sanford by a supposedly family values oriented South Carolina congressional district, the grand old party is in fine fettle this spring.  The breathtaking hypocrisy on display by the Heritage Foundation is another indication of the moral and intellectual bankruptcy of one of the country's political parties.  To peddle the old eugenics argument about race and IQ is merely another way to buttress the intolerance which has come to represent face the GOP  presents to its base, a motley collection of racists, angry old white men and a few intellectual conservatives with nowhere else to turn to.  The strategy of cutting government and turning its functions over to the most rapacious players in the private sector is another underpinning of an increasingly out of touch party elite.  When the base realizes their leaders are going to put its hands on medicare and social security and the other popular safety net programs which they utilize more than the general population, the revolt will be immediate.  By mid-century, whites will be a majority-minority in the US, so the continued appeal to racial animosity and division would seem to be counterproductive to the party's long term survival.  We may be watching the disintegration of Abe Lincoln's legacy.

From the frying pan to the freezer

After several days with temps in the 80s I was starting to think summer was here.  Wrong.   The forecast for Sunday and Monday nights is for upper 20s in the colder spots.  Here on the NCR that could still mean flirting with frost.  Naturally, the fruit trees will come into bloom this weekend thanks to the blast of heat.  It seems climate change includes these wild swings from midsummer type heat to early spring cold snaps right in the middle of spring.  Meanwhile, although the forecast is for showers, the whole area needs a good soaking rain.  The garden is rapidly drying out and I don't feel like dragging hoses around all summer to barely keep plants alive.  I transplanted onions last night and while the soil was in perfect condition, it will only take a week of dry weather to kill or retard most of the young plants.  I can't believe my grandfather once transplanted a two acre field of onions by hand.  He was probably older than I am now, and two acres would kill me.  I guess they don't make them they way they used to.

asparagus aplenty

It was relatively easy to plant 100 asparagus roots last year.  The soil preparation for a multi-year crop was strenuous, but I had plenty of weedy compost.  With a few favorable showers, the plants established themselves rapidly and the row looked beautiful in August.  Now comes the fun part.  I picked about 5 lbs. from the new planting last night.  Many of the stalks were thin, but there were a fair number of #1s also.  I would guess there will be a three week harvest and then let the plants grow out. The conventional wisdom is to make a light harvest the first year and more in successive years.  My older planting is yielding massive stalks in the 1 inch diameter range.  Three stalks like that are enough for dinner!  I will have to find a way to store the harvest til marketing day, or find more customers. 

Plant and Pray

For Rain, that is.   The weather has been outstanding for soil preparation.  In 12 years of gardening on the NCR I cannot remember a drier spring.  I was able to till and plant in an area that normally is not workable until the 3rd week of May or later.  Of course the ability to plant can easily outrun the ability to keep the plantings watered.  If we don't get the forecasted showers this Thursday and Friday, I along with many other farmers and gardeners will be scrambling to keep the soil moist enough for germination and hydration of newly transplanted lettuce and crucifers.  It seems no matter what kind of weather we get, there is room for improvement.  While praying is not an activity I usually condone, a nice shower would be appreciated.

A decade of deadlock

The gerrymandered house of representatives showcases a majority which is so out of touch with most of America it is almost comical.  The average Republican member is old, white, and for the most part far more wealthy than the average constituent.  They operate with tattered copies of the Rush Limbaugh playbook and look askance at the far more representative Democratic minority; women, African Americans, Asians, Latinos and Gays.  The once a decade redrawing of the country's congressional districts has allowed the Republican dominated legislatures at the time to tilt the representation in Congress to the old white minority.  Time is all it will take to reverse this injustice, but can we wait for population destiny to assert itself before the present Congress does major harm to itself and the country?

Greening on the NCR

The usually dreary drive I endure each day got a little greener today.  The many birch trees between home and the border made the roadside a misty green this morning.  This is one of my favorite times of the year.  Everything is in a hopeful state as the new season's growth gets underway.  In the garden, the second planting of spinach is up.  Asparagus harvest started last evening, and the peas are sprouting.  Weeds are not yet a problem and it looks like the normally wetter areas of the garden are ready to be tilled in preparation for summer crops.  The potato seed is sprouting in the garage and I'm thinking about planting corn this weekend.  If we could only get a little timely rainfall it would be a perfect start.  Of course, as a veteran gardener, I know perfection is only a distant dream.

Sunshine!

As I write this I am itching to get outside and enjoy the beautiful morning here on the NCR.  A rare day off from the produce wars enables me to fight the battle here at Almena Gardens today.  It looks as though we will have several gorgeous days before the clouds move in again on Monday.  Of course, by then I will be lamenting the lack of water and the need to try and keep many different plantings moist for germination.  I am already getting a bad feeling for the coming summer.  We seem to be in a dry cycle in this area with moisture deficits the past few years.  Although the soil in my gardens is  relatively heavy and holds moisture well, it must be saturated at some  point to do its job and keep water craving vegetables happy.  Usually at this time of year, several areas in the gardens are too saturated to work.  I think by Friday, even the wettest area will be dry enough to bear the weight of the tractor and tiller.  I  hope our little corner of Spaceship Earth is not too  badly affected by the coming climate change, but if drought is the worst of it, we can always adapt to it.