Last Cool Weather of the Year
This weekend there was an awesome storm front that blew in from the west that dropped the temperatures down into the 60s. I gotta say, it was very appreciated. I got a ton of yard work done at the old house. When the temperatures are warm but not hot, the winter rye just goes crazy! It makes me wish I had rumen.
When we got this place 6 years ago, the yard had a typical "get flood water out of here" design to it. Lots of gutter extensions and pvc ran water from the roof to the back of the property to the floodplain we back up to. Well, that didn't last long. I'm not wasting that resource! But I have spent the majority of my design time close to the house, so some of the older stuff I have never had a chance to really fix up. Perhaps the next owner will be more diligent. So there was this 20+ foot of gutter pipe that was on the ground that has been detached for years. I just never pulled it up.
Well today in between weed eating batches, I finally pulled that gutter out. Over the years, the grass mulch had built up so that it was actually underneath the current growth of bermuda runners. It wasn't thatch, but rather a grass-particulate similar to a screened compost growing underneath the bermuda grass. It is pretty cool, as the previous management had mowed it so low and so often that it could never build up.
This is about the time of year I grow tired of squash. I have probably collected 40 pounds of squash off of 10 plants, and I am eating squash 6 days a week or more. Tomorrow, those at the office will get their pick of cucurbits. They have completely taken over the yard, stretching out well beyond their raised bed. Perhaps next year I'll remember to look for species that don't tendril out so much. As temperatures get warmer, the mildew starts becoming a problem. But honestly, I have enough squash at this point.
Kale is starting to slow down now that the heat is increasing more. I have a handful of kohlrabi still hanging on that should be ready next weekend or so, and the carrots should be ready the following week (they take sooo long). I pulled out a bunch of beets this weekend, so my refrigerator is pretty full right now. I think about 30-60 days from now, it will be time to pull up any remaining veg and tarp it up for the new owners. Pretty exciting times.
When we got this place 6 years ago, the yard had a typical "get flood water out of here" design to it. Lots of gutter extensions and pvc ran water from the roof to the back of the property to the floodplain we back up to. Well, that didn't last long. I'm not wasting that resource! But I have spent the majority of my design time close to the house, so some of the older stuff I have never had a chance to really fix up. Perhaps the next owner will be more diligent. So there was this 20+ foot of gutter pipe that was on the ground that has been detached for years. I just never pulled it up.
Well today in between weed eating batches, I finally pulled that gutter out. Over the years, the grass mulch had built up so that it was actually underneath the current growth of bermuda runners. It wasn't thatch, but rather a grass-particulate similar to a screened compost growing underneath the bermuda grass. It is pretty cool, as the previous management had mowed it so low and so often that it could never build up.
This is about the time of year I grow tired of squash. I have probably collected 40 pounds of squash off of 10 plants, and I am eating squash 6 days a week or more. Tomorrow, those at the office will get their pick of cucurbits. They have completely taken over the yard, stretching out well beyond their raised bed. Perhaps next year I'll remember to look for species that don't tendril out so much. As temperatures get warmer, the mildew starts becoming a problem. But honestly, I have enough squash at this point.
Kale is starting to slow down now that the heat is increasing more. I have a handful of kohlrabi still hanging on that should be ready next weekend or so, and the carrots should be ready the following week (they take sooo long). I pulled out a bunch of beets this weekend, so my refrigerator is pretty full right now. I think about 30-60 days from now, it will be time to pull up any remaining veg and tarp it up for the new owners. Pretty exciting times.
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