The organic fertilizer for my garden arrived today which means that I have my work cut out for me. It is composted locally and is especially blended for raising mushrooms, but works quite well on gardens too. This year I am using it as a top dressing for the tomatoes and also to hill up the potatoes in the potato patch. Nothing fancy when it comes to spreading the stuff – just my old wheel barrow and a shovel. No batteries or moving parts except me. And some days that’s the part which is hardest to get moving!
I did have to replant my yellow beans. This time, I soaked them in water for 24 hours before I planted them. We shall see if this helps. I don’t know what happened to the May 19th planting, but not one bean emerged from the entire planting! Perhaps the soil was too cold. The rains that we have been having this past week have done wonders for my garden and the lawn. The rain and the sun are for sure the most important ingredients for a successful garden, but ones which we can’t control.
I go to the trouble of raising a garden because it is a part of my heritage of being raised on a family farm and it makes me a part of the family farms here in the Finger Lakes. There’s nothing like fresh lettuce, onions, beans, tomatoes, broccoli, and potatoes from your own garden. It’s a family harvest that’s worth the effort!
James R. Bupp
