Gina Rae Mitchell

Spring 2018 gardening on the farm is going strong.

The weather has moved from spring into summer in the space of a week. That’s pretty typical where I live in central Illiana.

We missed several good chances at rain which is always a bit nerve-wracking for me. It seems like when we get locked into that weather pattern of storms splitting to go north & south of us, we stay in that pattern. Drought is a fear around here. We depend on it not only for the field crops and garden but also for the well which provides all our household water. It’s odd how we not only change seasons in a heartbeat but we can go from flooding to drought just as quick.

But for now, things look good.

    

So far this year we have had spinach, green onions, several types of radishes and lettuces. I absolutely love running out to the garden, grabbing a few fresh veggies, and throwing together a salad or side for dinner.

There is nothing quite like 5 minutes from garden to plate for dining freshness!

We should have an abundance of sweet corn, green beans, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and more later in the summer. That is if Tom wins his yearly war with the varmints. A couple of years ago, we lost every single ear of sweet corn to the raccoons in one night! Gardening in a rural area has its ups & downs.

We also have black raspberries & strawberries. They are Tom’s pride & joy in the garden. If all it takes is sunshine, water & love, we will have a bumper crop. He takes very good care of them.

You really can’t expect to maintain a garden this size without the proper equipment. We use a heavy-duty tiller, a high wheel hoe, a single row seeder, lots of small hand tools, and of course manual labor & sweat. It also never fails that something will break down when you need it the most. This explains why I spent a recent Friday night helping rebuild the transmission gear box on the tiller. I am seriously not a fan of grease & dirt!

I’ll do my part to help but I am most comfortable in the kitchen cooking up our bountiful harvest.

I’ll post again when the plants really begin to put on fruits & vegetables. You can also expect lots of posts with garden produce recipes and canning tips. I preserve as much of the garden harvest as possible so we can enjoy it all winter.

That’s your peek into gardening on the farm this lovely spring.

Leave a comment below with your questions or thoughts.

Thanks for reading,

Gina Rae