2019

Looking for crops that had more impact on the soil I tried tillage radish and some buckwheat

More flowers, sunflowers, marigolds, poppies and chamomile

Photo of Garden flowers

Dale enlarged the section of dahlias. We talked about his gardening part of the Fall City Garden.

Grape vines at the Farm ready for a productive year/

A renter of a part of the farmland built a pen and brought pigs to live there. These forceful and inquisitive creatures liked to escape from the rudimentary pen and root around any uncovered ground - in my garden among the grape vines!

Almost regularly, cattle who broke through (weak) fences in a neighbors property next to the farm visited and enjoyed trampling corn plants as they scavenged the ripening cobs. Fences were seldom fixed and a temporary fence failed to stop the raiders.

Late in the season the renter brought in cattle who, just as the neighbor's herd, broke through fences and feasted on leaves from grape vines or corn stalks. One time a calf got stuck inside the hoop house and damaged a number of tomato plants. Herds demolished corn crops several times!

There were more challenges than in the past and some were real downers. But by reasonal measures it was a good year:

• I harvested more than 1,600 pounds of produce.
• I donated over 1,400 pounds to two local food banks.
• I gave several hundred pounds to family and friends.
• We filled up our freezer with vegetables and have supplies of winter squash.

It comes as no surprise to me that my body is tired. I was working in the gardens well into October. I am taking time to recuperate.

View a gallery of 2019 photos.