LAKE MACBRIDE— After work at the CSA, and on a new sawyering job in the next county, I harvested radishes— lots of radishes. It was a reminder of how far behind the garden is this year. There are still seedlings planted in March that need to go in the ground, and now a third crop of radishes needs be planted. While it is cold comfort, every local foods grower in the area is also running behind— only the row croppers are on schedule.
As days fill with paying work from multiple sources, evaluating new opportunities has become a key skill. My main considerations are reliability of payment, flexibility of hours, and steady work that matches my physical capabilities. All of this at an acceptable rate of compensation. Mastery of time management and scheduling is also a key skill.
Yesterday found me explaining why services cost more if compensation was in money rather than bartered goods and services. Bartering income may be taxable, but the tax implications are not much outside bartering exchanges. If there is non-employment cash income, a tax of 13 percent comes off the top, hence the up charge.
These discussions with potential clients are not part of a person’s education and training. Most seek a single job, or maybe one full and one part time one, but that seems unsustainable, especially as one nears traditional retirement age of 68. Food for thought to compliment the radishes.
LAKE MACBRIDE— Memorial Day is past, and summer will officially be here in 26 days. The spring garden patch is beginning to produce, there will soon be spring garlic, but everything else is running way behind. I blocked out some time to finish the initial planting this week. Here’s hoping the weather cooperates, although with Iowa resignation, we’ll accept and deal with whatever comes.
It is stunningly quiet in Big Grove considering a contested primary election is just a week away. Both parties have choices to make, although the Democratic courthouse races have more meaning. There have been a lot of absentee ballots cast in the county, more than usual. Whoever is organizing that effort will likely reap dividends in a low turnout election. Since I have a filled dance card for the next ten days, we’ll wait and see what happens.
Like a smoldering ember waiting for fuel, in the ashes is consideration of another pivot point for this life. The busy-ness suppresses it, but nonetheless, it is there. There is more to come on that.
BIG GROVE TOWNSHIP— Memorial Day weekend is a big one for the township trustees, in that we help manage the fire station, where the annual firefighters breakfast took place this morning, and the cemetery, where the American Legion will hold a ceremony tomorrow. Our work is on display in both places. I never thought much about the connection until I became a trustee.
Our garden has usually been planted by now. This year, it is about 50 percent finished, mostly because of the late start and a work schedule that makes it impossible to get into the soil and get it done directly. We’ve had radishes, chives, spring garlic, spinach and lettuce already.
The primary elections are being held next week— another marker in the political cycle. I spent a lot of my morning proof reading articles about political candidates for this week’s newspaper, the last edition before the election. My article about the city council meeting and a pair of articles about the Democratic House District 73 candidates, are to be published.
I plan to vote at the polls in order to see how the last days of the campaign develop. A last minute development could change a vote or two, but I doubt it. The real political work won’t start until the end of summer, unless one is a candidate. I accept the popular wisdom that this weekend is the unofficial start of summer.
Supper tonight was asparagus, Yukon Gold potatoes and a veggie burger. Fit food as the weekend unfolds. Tomorrow, if I am lucky, I won’t leave the township.
LAKE MACBRIDE— I planted Acer and Beefsteak tomatoes today, commonly referred to as slicers. Also harvested some radishes for dinner. It was about 2-1/2 hours all-told. The first tomato seedlings seem to be surviving, although they haven’t grown much. There is one more variety of tomato to plant, the Best Boy.
LAKE MACBRIDE— Another morning in the garden spading soil. During rest breaks I made political phone calls to get caught up on campaign activity. Standing near earthworms dug up in the dark, rich loam was a reminder of our ultimate destiny. Life is short so we have to live while we can. Too bad political talk doesn’t produce any actual manure because I could have used some.
LAKE MACBRIDE— We agreed I could skip soil blocking at the CSA this week. There is a lot of planting to do on the farm, but the summer help has arrived, and the greenhouse needs emptying into the high tunnel and fields before planting begins again in earnest. I spent a seven hour shift in my own garden.
First task was planting tomatoes. I finalized a plan and planted the seedlings according to this plan.
Final Planting Schematic
It began by digging holes for the seedlings. They looked like this.
Tomato Holes
After a lot of work, delicately trying to plant the tomatoes without damage, the plot looked like this. I left a small strip for herbs on the north end.
Tomato Patch
I watered, staked and caged them before moving on the next plot. I transplanted the remainders in case I need them to replace failed plants.
Surplus Seedlings
I found a couple of cloves of garlic in a ditch and planted them last summer, and they came up. Because I have a supply of garlic chives, I trim off the green leaves, compost them, and use the thicker part of the plant in cooking. The leaves are definitely edible, and I would slice and mince them finely and use the same way you use chives for a very mild garlic flavor.
The plot had been left as it was at the end of the season, so there was a lot of work to be done. I removed all the fencing, the aforementioned spring garlic, and brought the John Deere up from the garage to mow it short. I dug a bit, but the day was getting late, and I stopped at about five spade rows.
Spring Garlic
It was a busy day and a lot of work. Seven hours was about all I could take before heading inside for a shower. It was a constructive day in the garden.
LAKE MACBRIDE— Farmers are back in the fields after a wet spell. According to today’s hourly forecast, there is a window for planting that lasts until 2 p.m. when scattered thunderstorms are expected.
Suddenly the house is full of greens and soup vegetables, mostly from the CSA— there is plenty to eat. But if planting isn’t done soon, there will be only a slight garden harvest.
After proof reading six late breaking stories for the newspaper, and making soup from last night’s asparagus steaming water and bits of asparagus ends, the rest of the day is mine for the garden.
Turn off the Internet and walk into the garden. That’s how today will be spent.
LAKE MACBRIDE— The U.S. Drought Monitor shows Big Grove Township to be abnormally dry, even with the recent rainfall. Gardeners and farmers need rain, but this year the cold, unevenly dry conditions of early spring made for late planting and a tough job preparing the soil for transplanting seedlings from bedroom to garden. The weeds have started to take root, requiring some hoe work to break up the clumps of earthworm and bacteria-laden loam.
A gentle rain fell yesterday— the perfect kind for nourishing new seedlings, had they been planted.
“We farmers pray for rain, but it must be the right kind and at the right time and when we need it most,” wrote local farmer Eric Menzel. “When we get it, it’s more than often a torrential storm that washes topsoil and comes with a cold front that stunts growth to new tender annuals, while giving naturally-occurring perennials (a.k.a., weeds) just what they need to thrive.”
While inventorying tomato seedlings, it turned out that some were only lightly connected to their root structure. The rain had me in the garage transplanting them into larger containers for further development before putting them in the ground. It was probably for the best. There are enough extra tomato seedlings to make up for deficiencies, yet I would like the tomato plan outlined in yesterday’s post to come together. All tomato plants are not created equally, nor are the soil conditions in which they germinated uniform. These are challenges of trying to grow a diverse crop of tomatoes.
Turned Over
On Wednesday, former Reagan administration secretary of agriculture turned lobbyist John R. Block published an opinion piece about organic marketing in the Des Moines Register. This thinly veiled advocacy for big agriculture may be well received among fans of the late president, but its vapid positioning was transparent.
“We’ve witnessed a remorseless campaign based on junk science or no-science attacking food grown with modern fertilizers, pesticides, GMOs and other technologies,” Block wrote. His argument failed to recognize that the same corporations that prop up high-tech agriculture have a vested interest in organic marketing— corporations like General Mills that also owns Muir Glen Organic and Cascadian Farm, and recently introduced GMO-free Cheerios. That’s not to mention large organic operations like Earthbound Farm Organic in California that benefits from technology, if not the one Block defends. Block’s ideas could only gain traction among people already drinking the Kool-Aid. There is a strong case to be made for small-scale farming without fossil fuel-based fertilizers and pesticides to solve the world’s food production problem.
Any farmer who uses organic practices is well aware of the deficiencies of the “USDA Organic” label. If the limited energy and resources of small-scale local food growers were diverted to the straw-man argument about labeling, there wouldn’t be enough time for farm operations. What I know is the quality of vegetables I delivered to CSA customers last night was superb and well received. A CSA is based on a simple concept, that is impossible among producers of fungible crops: know the face of the farmer. More than the land-locked limits of conventional agriculture, this represents the future of feeding the world. My garden is a small part of that.
LAKE MACBRIDE— The Blue Spruce (picea pungens) showed new growth during my yard and garden walk. The tan-colored tips are breaking away, revealing young needles below. What was once a nine-inch seedling is now more than nine feet tall. It has been a nice, non-native addition. We are all transplants of a fashion. While it was not my intent when planting the Blue Spruce, it serves as a reminder of many recent trips to Colorado.
Apple Blossoms
The lilacs and apple trees in bloom made the first lawn mowing memorable with fragrances that bond me to this place. The bare rooted plants from the nursery were dormant but have come alive and enliven me.
The mowing deck was set as high as possible during the first cut of lawn. The grass was long and my process is to prepare for re-cutting and collecting the clippings today. After the first cut, the lawn looks lush.
Space for 18 Tomato Plants
I spaded the first of two tomato plots. After working the soil with a rake, I’ll plant the first seedlings and dump the clippings directly on the plot as I cut them. I left a shallow row on the north end for existing chives and oregano. That space will be filled out with other herbs.
The tomato decision has been made. The first plot will be home to eighteen growing cages bonded together in couples on a single stake. This is to reduce the number of metal stakes used and optimize the space around them. One row will be the Martin (F1) Italian tomato which retains a variegated green and red color when ripe. The intent for this tomato is ketchup making, although that may change as they mature and we see what they taste like. The center of the plot will be three types of cherry tomatoes (Sweet Olive (F1) baby grape tomatoes, Black Cherry (OG), and Gold Nugget (OG) golden cherry tomatoes). The third row will be Olivade (F1) and Monica (F1) (OG), two tomatoes for use in sauces, and Rose (OG), an heirloom pink tomato. Unlike in past years, I plan to keep closer track of the varieties and how they produce.
Lilac Blooms
The other tomato plot hasn’t been finalized, but it will be some combination of Acer, Beefsteak and Best Boy planted in similar couples. The Beefsteak and Acer are slicers, and the Best Boy will be canned whole. Whatever tomato seedlings I don’t use will go to my sister-in-law’s garden.
A local chef is seeking spring garlic, and it looks like my plot will produce an abundance. Once it matures to spring garlic stage, I’ll harvest a couple of bunches and take it to his restaurant to barter for store credit.
LAKE MACBRIDE— Apple blossoms are in full bloom, and it never lasts for long. Once bees pollinate, the petals fall in snowy softness, carpeting the ground as quickly as they went from pink to bloom.
One of the farms where I work is an apple orchard— a resource for learning about my four trees. I recently sent a question via email.
“Can last winter’s pruning cause a lot of blooms this spring?
I pruned my trees and the Red Delicious tree is loaded with blooms like it was last year. Not sure the pruning helped that, but I was expecting very little fruit because it was a branch buster last year.”
The answer came promptly:
“I spoke to my dad about your question. He said that pruning and the number of blossoms aren’t directly related. The exact reason is quite a long answer, but he said that you must just have a good tree!”
That’s a good enough answer for me, “it’s a good tree.”
I did my first experiment in making flour tortillas at home yesterday. They came out more flatbread than tortilla, so it needs more work. Trouble is we’re not running a test kitchen here and need to consume what we cook. We’ll enjoy the flatbread, but wait a couple of weeks for round two.
The dough recipe included some baking powder, which leavened the bread. Next time, I’ll omit it and see if the result is more tortilla-like.
There is a zero percent chance of precipitation through sunset today, so hopefully the ground will dry out, enabling preparation of more garden space for transplanting. There is a lot to get into the ground before Memorial Day.
The row croppers took advantage of last week’s drying conditions, and according to the USDA crop report, 70 percent of the corn and 20 percent of the soybeans are planted, putting spring planting right on its traditional schedule.
Reflecting on time spent with Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) last week, I am glad I participated in their national meetings. My primary interest in the group is their long history of nuclear abolition work. Dr. Ira Helfand from Massachusetts has been a prominent figure in the nuclear abolition movement, and it was good to spend some time with him. Likewise, the Washington, D.C. staff was there, along with chapter leaders from around the country. The organization has expanded its reach beyond abolition to include the relationship between health and climate change, and toxic substances in the environment.
I broached the topic of the effectiveness of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in effecting policy change. In today’s political environment, more people associate with NGOs, and a lot of people make a living doing that work. My concern is that in the perpetual chase for grant money, the number of funders is reducing, and whatever may have been successful last year, is out of step this year.
In Washington, there is a small group of people working on nuclear disarmament and they talk among themselves constantly. This includes people in NGOs, the U.S. and foreign governments and citizen advocates. I met a number of these people during my treaty ratification advocacy work in 2009. However, there is a certain self-interest they have in keeping conversations alive that perhaps may be better off placed on the back burner.
We are entering an era when regardless of which political party dominates the Washington conversation, the same work goes on, and currently it is work that includes refurbishing the nuclear weapons complex with a great diversion of funds. A person can’t be happy about that.
Nonetheless, while NGOs may not be as effective as I would like, they are currently the only game in town, so I plan to re-engage with PSR over the near term. The work will include rolling out a program on nuclear abolition to local Rotary clubs, working in between gardening and yard care sessions.
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