We decided not to plant on Friday -- the forecast was calling for hot and dry both that day and the next. Plus there was rain forecast for Sunday. I figured 2 days out in the scorching sun would decimate our beautiful little plants. Better to wait (be patient!) and plant later.
And wow -- that was a lot of rain. Maybe as much as 6 inches! The pond looks like a pond again, not a big puddle. What was wonderful to see was that we didn't have erosion or standing water in the veg field. The soil was protected with a dense stand of plants or with a nice layer of mulch and was able to absorb the rain as it fell. That's not a given in agriculture. I was excited to see it yesterday and felt, again, that the transition to no-till is worth it. Change can be scary, but it can also be deeply satisfying!
So the water is in the soil now, ready for us to plant into on Tuesday. Our transplants will be able to thrive! And we have a lot to plant! The last rounds of kohlrabi, Asian greens (bok choi, mustard, mizuna, tatsoi and komatsuma), chard, beets, herbs, and rapini. That just leaves a couple of beds of lettuce and some arugula and turnips for next week. We'll sigh a big sigh of relief after that. And then, as we harvest and clear beds, we'll top them with compost and seed cover crops or cover them landscape fabric, so that next spring, as soon as the snow melts, we can start planting again. I love farming!
