June 29

It has been an beautiful day. We got the first rain in five weeks this weekend, about an inch and a half overall. Handwatering just doesn't give the same effect as rain. The soil has been so dry, it was a great pleasure to be able to plant some things in it today and to see how loose and deep it still is. The rain has been so good - everything has grown visibly since last week.

Next big item up at the market after the salad mix is gone are baking potatoes and red potatoes. The very first one or two of the blackberries are just starting to ripen, too, so it won't be long!

Still planting more of everything, especially tomatoes - probably have about 200 feet altogether. The cherry tomatoes should start to ripen in the next couple weeks, closely followed by the early girls. Others that are coming along nicely are big beef, supersweet, and the other colors: orange, yellow, pink, striped; and the heirlooms: brandywine, cherokee purple, and others.

Other things are still quietly making progress. The corn tassels are just starting to peak out. The bell peppers are still small, but they're coming along. More things are going in the ground all the time - today I just planted more tomatoes for a late crop, including some of the Mountain series seedlings I've taken to the market. I want to see how they do too! The pump worked again today, after some repair work this weekend. My project this week is to keep ahead of the weeds, now that it's rained and they all want to come up, and to continue planting. I'm hoping to get a 100ft row of cukes in, more summer squash, lots more lettuce, and a second crop of wax beans. We'll see how far I get!

Have a great fourth of July!