Thursday, June 30, 2016

Poor Pumpkins!

 Sometime in the two weeks that I've been gone, there must have been a decent rainfall.
 My absentee farming isn't working out real well.  I was late planting pumpkins and then it didn't rain.
There seems to be enough water for weeds but my intended crops seem to be suffering.
 I spent hours trying to find my rows between the weeds.  I have some complete rows where nothing seems to have germinated.  Especially the large jack-o-lantern pumpkins.
 I did a quick look with the hoe trying to find some germinated pumpkins.
 There are a few out there.
 But there weren't many and they were hard to find in the weeds.
 There were a few volunteers from last year that weren't in any rows.
 And, if I got on my hands and knees, I could find some newly sprouted ones among the weeds.  I didn't have enough time to do that with the whole field.
 I got the main rows tilled, a few individual plants hoed, and the deer exclusion tape up.  Then it was time to leave.
 I have a peach tree with a couple of peaches.
 This is a new clover field.
 Where it is up, it is mostly clover.
 One corner of it is overrun with pigweed.  I even used a suppressant when planting (Prowl).
 My annual mix field is a mix - weeds and also the intended plants - sunflower, sorghum, peas, lab lab, beans.
 Chicory and clover field.
 I think that these blue flowers are the chicory.  They look like bachelor buttons.
 Main field needs disked up again for August 1 planting of brassica.
 It is fawn time and they are showing up on camera.







 I haven't seen any twins yet this year.
 I missed these guys in May.

 Fox
Coyote
 And some very nice bucks.  This guy is looking beastly.




 Six on one side?





 Nice and wide
 Weird

Need more farm time.  Not sure when that might happen.

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Still No Rain - Antlers Growing

 It's been 10 days since I started planting pumpkins and there has been no measurable rain.
 The weeds managed to sprout in the patch.
 There are a few pumpkins up.
 I don't think that there were 10 total up though.
 So I rototilled between where the rows are supposed to be.
 It got hot so I rested in the shade of the Ranger.
Final product - need rain desperately.
Nephew Dave ran in an Olympic length triathlon this weekend.  It was at Voice of America - near our house.
He did great.
 This is the new clover plot - needs rain.
 New field of summer mix (beans, sunflowers, etc) is doing better on no rain.
 Main field to be planted in brassica for the fall.  Sprouting weeds for now.  Needs disked up again.
 Butterfly weed blooming - some butterflies around. Not sure what type this is.
 Think this is a tiger swallowtail - I'm not very good on butterflies.
Prairie plot not looking too good.
 I can't tell whether anything that I planted is growing.  Not much is growing due to lack of rain.
 One casualty showing in the pond.
 The antlers are really growing now.  This might be the buck with the hooked brow tine from last year.
Looks like a different buck - 26 minutes later.
 Seems to be the beast.  Those brow tines are memorable.


 The beast I believe.



 Several fawns out and about.

 Flies or ticks on the Mom?  Also a bare spot on her chest.
 Coyote.
Turkeys still about.


 Looking like an odd rack.





 Lousy photo but I think this is the mutant.









I put lots of minerals out in case I don't get back for awhile.