Today was enough

[altivo]

And Wednesday isn't until tomorrow. Work was steady and heavy, got home to hear that another load of hay was on the way. It arrived just before dinner was ready. I think I know what we're doing tomorrow. Jeff said he was cutting more tomorrow and it should be ready to bale by the weekend. The first load has turned out to be really nice, mostly grass the way we like it, and light and fluffy the way the horses like it. This is a smaller wagon with 135 bales on it, making a total of 300 so far this season. We'll need at least three more loads before winter, so I'm glad he already has another earmarked for us.

Gary got the hoses run out to the garden so we can water, which means I have no more excuse for not getting the rest of the garden planted. It may seem late but it really isn't. We've learned that we actually get more squash and beans by starting late. It seems to fool the insects and other pests into thinking we aren't going to plant anything and they go somewhere else.

Comments

[quickcasey.livejournal.com]

I planted Broccoli. I have plants with broccoli and others have burst into flowers. What's going on here?
Thanks for telling me it's not too late. I have more to plant too.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Your broccoli is bolting due to the heat of the past few days I think. The part we eat is in fact the flower buds, so you have allowed some to go beyond that and actually bloom. ;D

[quickcasey.livejournal.com]

So my brocolli heads are only 4 inches in diameter? Not like what you see in the store?

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Yup. Homegrown broccoli doesn't usually get as large, because you don't load the soil with chemicals to make it overgrow. You also can't duplicate the climate conditions where the commercial stuff is produced.

However, homegrown tastes better. Much sweeter and more tender. ;D

[quickcasey.livejournal.com]

Dumb question. Does it grow another head? Or is it a one trick plant?

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I've had them grow a second top, but never as large as the first. I'm surprised you have heads already. Typically I plant broccoli in May and it's not ready until mid to late July. What you can do is start a second batch if you have more seed.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Gary says yes. Cut the tops off and eat them. They will grow again as long as you water regularly. Don't cut the whole stem off down to the ground though. Just the head part and a couple of inches of stem below it.

[songdogmi.livejournal.com]

The pests may have evolved to where their reproduction cycle is timed to when the specific plants are usually available... and you're messing that up by planting the crops late. Will someone think of the little buggies! ;-)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

That does seem to be particularly true of the squash borer, obnoxious little robbers that they are.