Peaked activities in the garden/farm

An hour or two earlier than the sunrise, I always wake up. I can't stay in bed any more. With a cup of coffee or preferably of tea nowadays, I come into my room. Surfing around the net, I check the weather forecast. If rain is not expected, I plan what to do in the garden/farm. It is the time for me to plant vegetables on pots or on soil. A lot of things to do.

The farm work is not the major task for me. Pulling the weeds and mowing lawn occupies most of my outdoor work. Knowing the same chore comes back to me in a week or two, I sit on a small chair at certain spot in the property and start doing with the vigorously growing weeds. Natural farming tells us not to cut them but let them grow because they are the source of fertilizer and of the prowing effect with their roots in the soil. I am not brave enough to let them grow in the garden yet as they want. I try to pile the cut grass on the ground, which will become natural compost in several months.　

Potatoes are growing with flowers. In a few weeks, they will be harvested. Only small amount of organic fertilizer seems to work out well for them. I have a list of family members and of friends whom I would send them as soon as harvested.

A few pumpkins, which have been grown from seeds collected from the fruits last fall, are planted on the soil and vividly growing, even though curcubit leaf beetles　

are nibbling a bit of their leaves. Not necessary to cover them with insect repellent sheet yet. I will try vinegar mustard and garlic to prevent such insects.

Pumpkin is a good material for boiled vegetable and are necessary until as late as possible in fall. I would plant them in July and expect them to go on maturing until winter solstice.

Onions are also growing. Dozens of them are expected to be harvested in a week or two. 

Kidney beans are sprouting right now. They will take over green pea soon. 

Broccholi are vivid. No insect damage so far. Left of them, some okras were planted. But the cool temperature might have bothered them growing well. In the coming days, it will get much warmer and may help them grow better. So far not successful for me to sprout them from the seeds taken last fall yet. It seems pretty temperature critical. 

On rainy days, not much work to do. I am spending the day reading books. I was impressed at a book depicting the history of slavery since the age of enlightenment. Oh, have I mentioned on this book in this blog? Karl Marx has elucidated the metamorphose of slavery into veiled slavery. In the modern time of neoliberalism, it seems still alive as irregular employment which is quite common in our country. It was an exciting story on the labor/capitalism history.

So not bored without outdoor activities. I would hit the sack in order to work with vegetables tomorrow now.