I was really looking forward to getting started early on some summer crops, things seemed to be going well.  Then the frost hit, leaving in it’s wake devastated basil and tomato seedlings. There’s no recovering from that.  Seeded two more flats, along with another round of tomatoes.

Continue reading “Rolling with the punches:Late Frosts, Burnt Basil and Baby Turnips”

Continue reading “Morakniv Harvesting Rig: The utility of empty space”

It took me four years, but I finally got around to cleaning my dad’s last papalo seed harvest.  Gotta see how viable it still is.  Here’s hoping.

I have used this configuration for years as a way of cutting lettuce, bunching greens, and harvesting broccoli.

Continue reading “Opinel Harvesting rig”

“A man is a fool not to put everything he has, at any given moment, into what he is creating. You’re there now doing the thing on paper. You’re not killing the goose, you’re just producing an egg. So I don’t worry about inspiration, or anything like that. It’s a matter of just sitting down and working. I have never had the problem of a writing block. I’ve heard about it. I’ve felt reluctant to write on some days, for whole weeks, or sometimes even longer. I’d much rather go fishing, for example, or go sharpen pencils, or go swimming, or what not. But, later, coming back and reading what I have produced, I am unable to detect the difference between what came easily and when I had to sit down and say, ‘Well, now it’s writing time and now I’ll write.’ There’s no difference on paper between the two.”

Frank Herbert

What your see here is a 40 pounds of Lettuce mix.  This was all cut by hand, though it’s possible to mechanize via the Farmers Friend greens cutter (as shown here).

 Shade tunneling will be important heading into warmer weather.

Farmer Miguel spinning it dry.  Special tables were built with plastic mesh to allow the greens to drip dry a bit as it’s sorted.

Trombetta squash from Renee’s is one of my favorites.  Chestnut Chocolate tomatoes from Baker Creek have high levels of anthocyanins.  Beit Alpha are popular in the Middle East, Armenian Cukes do well in the SoCal heat.

My trusty Ladbrooke 4 block soil blocker and

the finished product.

Visiting the garden at San Gabriel High School with it’s primary catalyst Jesse Chang of Kingdom Causes.  Very beautiful garden, lots of wonderful inspiration here. Great work.