Saturday, June 12, 2010

When it rains...we deliver!

Saturday, June 12 dawned grey and murky. Nonetheless, a handful of stalwart volunteers turned out for our second harvest of the season. Not only were the collards going strong




but we also had our first harvest of snow peas (tasty!).



The radishes also continued to flourish.



Of course, once all the produce was weighed and loaded onto Al's bike trailer ready for delivery, the rain bucketed down. Undaunted, Al set out to deliver.



Yes, those vertical lines in the photo are rain.

The rest of us huddled on the porch and wondered whether the rain would stop enough so that we could get some gardening done. Just as we pulled out some gardening books, thinking we would do some research, the rain turned to drizzle, and the gardening commenced.

Al had talked with one of the dietitians at Vital Bridges the previous week and she mentioned that beets were a welcome crop. Our first crop failed to germinate, so we sowed again. Last year, we had beautiful golden beets as well as the more familiar red beets. Here's hoping the new crop germinates.

We also spent some time in the front garden, trying to repair damage to fences done by large dogs or small children. The few fences in the front were put up to try to protect some of the new prairie plants that were put in last fall. Unfortunately, some didn't survive the winter (despite being mulched), and some survived only to be destroyed in the spring. And here's hoping the plants and fences survive.