Cucurbits winding down

I have announced their demise several times now, but the zucchini and yellow squash are still producing. Fruits are smaller now and I can wait a day or two between picking now. Furthermore, there is a lot of die back in the vines. But there is still squash! Weather has been as low as high 30's and into the low 80's. Overall a fairly cool late summer and early fall though.

Cantaloupe have been slooooow to mature and some loss to rot and insects. Surprisingly they are still ripening even though the vine is dying back big time. 

Wheat planted

I went out with the threesome and tried to break up a few more clods before planting. Rain is forecast in a few days. Not real pretty with some of the big chunks but the seed was well covered. Interestingly, the soil was finer and more prepared in the middle, high part of the field. This is also where things seem to grow best.

Turkey Red Winter Wheat was drilled in using my Earthway Garden Seeder set to 1" and the swiss chard beet okra plate.  This plate tends to dump in more than one seed at a time, but the next smaller plate tends to skip and drills more of the small seeds than bigger ones.

Finished planting is 12' x 120'. I measured and counted carefully and came up with a rate of 81.6 lbs/ acre, or 1,122,541 seeds per acre. This is perfect and I'm very pleased to get this close to the recommendations. The rows are maybe 6" apart but the seeder bounces all over. 

To come to my estimate I counted out 200 seeds on the kitchen counter and weighed them with a high-school type gram scale.  200 seeds = 6.6 grams, hence 859 seeds per ounce

Seedbed prep

The corn stubble was plowed with the team yesterday. Can't believe how well it worked!

I went back the next day with Rosie in place of Cassie, planning to finish off with the cultimulcher. Rosie tired quickly and I changed to the disc. She still struggled and we did not get all the clods out. I plan to go back in a few days with the three abreast and really go over it with the cultimulcher. Next rain is forecast in about 5-7 days, and one way or another I will get the turkey red winter wheat planted before then. 

Corn coming out

The wild animal damage to the sweet corn never let up. The cold weather did not help. Still not sure if this is raccoon or deer damage. I plan on raising the electric fence and installing chicken wire on the perimeter next year. The trap caught one raccoon but continues to hve the bait stolen. 

I have given most of the stalks, including damaged ones, to the goats and donkeys. I will finish pulling it out today to make room for winter wheat. 

Cantaloupe and new ground

Still waiting on the cantaloupe. They are not ripe yet but production looks good

Summer squash plants have been dying back but still getting 2-6 zucchini and squash per day

New ground to the east is full of buckthorn roots, which surf after every tillage operation. This ground was cleared, worked with the spring tooth tractor, planted to buckwheat, and then plowed with the tractor. It will soon be planted to rye

Kitchen garden

Setting up a new garden site close to the house. This was spaded (poorly) and 3 loads of compost dumped on. I seeded it to daikon radish. Despite being 30 feet from the chicken coop it looks like some of them will survive. This is 3 or maybe 4 days after seeding 

Overview

Oats peas radish cover on west end

Oats and peas on previous wheat area, planted late July or early august

Same strip from the north, showing butternuts creeping on strongly.

Squash

Winter squash September 4. I have not picked any butternut yet but they are getting close. The color of some squash has turned but the vines are still green and strong.

Corn stubble after cultimulching on September 9. Stalks were cut and thrown to the donkeys and goats first. This will be seeded to winter wheat soon, along with a little more of the field to the east.

Sep 8

Tomatoes

Potato harvesting

Anti rabbit fencing working for these beans so far

Radish cover crop

This is newly opened ground on the east end of the garden. 

Aug 31

September 6

Coon damage to corn

Aug 31