I got out there at 7:15AM Thursday morning and started prepping for planting garlic. My helper friend was here to assist.
I got him started in the north end of the Big garden then had to leave to catch layers and sell some. When I got back, before I could get much done, the neighbor who owns the 10 acre piece called and said she had mulch hay for us.
So my helper friend and I went over and got a truckload. I’d planned to leave it in the truck but then I remembered we’d need the truck Friday morning to move wood. So my helper friend unloaded it into the Small garden where it will be used.
He went back to planting this area.
I’d just gotten back to work when an egg customer showed up, so I had to get her eggs ready. I went back to work and realized the place the 2nd batch of garlic was to go had a pepper in the middle of it. I double checked to see if I had any leeway to move the rows, but no, this was the only place left.
We’d gained 4’ of row in the north bed (compared to the plans) and I’d gain another 3’ in this south bed, but loose 4’ to the pepper. So in the end, I was ahead by 3’.
These Kapija peppers do well through mild frosts and keep growing peppers, so I wasn’t about to take it out. I needed the red peppers. This one had 3 nearly ripe and a couple more coming along.
Another Kapija pepper not in the way, loaded with peppers
By the time I’d prepped this area and laid it out, it was time to go catch the remaining layers to sell. So back to the barn I went. The last Australorp I went to catch in a nest box was laying an egg, so we had to wait for her to finish. We got 2 eggs from these last birds.
The person was a bit late but had messaged she would be, so that was ok. Many people don’t bother and you sit around wondering if they are coming.
Artichoke flowers in the Big garden
As soon as we were done selling the birds, we saw someone else pull into the driveway. So we went back to the house and it was my family who gets eggs every Thursday. I had forgotten them! So I zoomed into the house and got their 2 dozen ready. That would be the last of the large eggs for a while.
Empty layer pen
Normally as soon as we’d emptied the layer pen, we’d put the pullets into it. But this year, with bad backs and having to repair the coop, it will be awhile before the pullets move up there.
Another person who bags dried leaves for us for the layers had messaged she wanted to come get bags. She showed up just as I finished with the egg customer, so back to the barn I went. She took 4 bags of bags. Each bag has around 20 bags stuffed into it. This one person would give us a supply to get us through next year. Cool! But it would mean 4 long trips in the truck to pick them all up.
By now it was nearly noon and my helper friend had planted all 4 rows of garlic by himself, except I had managed to put 4 cloves in the ground. I had done all the prep work though.
Small quince with a lot of flowers in the Big garden, very unusual
So we went inside to eat and wait for the young men to show up to move the heavy stuff in the addition. They arrived and my husband got them started. Shortly after that a friend arrived to harvest onions, kale, and a squash.
It was around 2PM when everyone was finally gone. It was certainly Grand Central Station here today with 10 people coming and going.
On Friday it’s supposed to rain and my helper friend will be here. We’ll be moving wood from the addition to the barn, hopefully before the rain starts. Then we will be cleaning up so the guy doing the insulation can work. Once we’ve finished that, I want to harvest those red peppers and put them in the dehydrators.