Mark and I slept so soundly on Tuesday night that we woke up thinking the rain had missed us yet again. We groused about it as I made coffee and Mark laced up his boots. He stomped out into the pre-dawn gloom, and then came bounding back. The rain gauge showed 2.75”! Still there were hardly any puddles. The ground was so thirsty it sucked up every bit of it.
The pasture and hayfields have been at a standstill for weeks, but now, with luck, we might get some 2nd cut hay after all. And it was excellent news for fall crops.
This morning, we surveyed the remote fields where we are growing the winter squash, field corn, cabbage and potatoes. We were surprised at how good the squash looks, as we’ve taken a very hands-off approach to it this year. The per-plant yields are low, but we planted so much of it, we’ll have an abundant harvest of butternut, delicata, acorn and pumpkin. The kabocha squash, Sunshine, looks a little weak. The flea beetles really favored that variety this year. Too bad – it’s my favorite too…” [Continue reading Kristin Kimball’s Essex Farm Note]
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