Rock & Roll Farm |
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Tuesday! Jul 18 06 // 07:54 am // permalink 55 and raining
The fence is on. And it is hot. Now I won’t be up all night fretting about moose, I’ll be worrying about people touching the fence. There are a lot of people who take walks after hours and cut through the garden, which I don’t mind at all, but what if they bump the fence! School is in session and sometimes classes play kickball or other games in the field next to the garden, what if a student touches the wires! I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. Not that it would really hurt anyone for much longer than a few buzzy minutes after a brush with the lines. But it’s only been on for a few hours and I’m already thinking about it nonstop! Milkmaid sent me a seed experiment, which I am planting tomorrow. It’s french breakfast radish crossed with cherry belle turnip. I’ll let you know what happens. I’m quite excited and flattered that I was chosen to try them out. On the other hand, it could just be that I’m one of a few people that has somewhere to grow stuff. Either way, I’m geeked to give them space in my garden! It continues to be cold and rainy here, with hot sunny patches in the afternoons. It’s kind of nice, really. My cabbage is doing something weird. It’s got all these rot spots on the bottom that go in pretty deep. Nasty! All I can think is that it’s been so wet and rainy that the water just collected in there. Milkmaid? Any ideas? The share this week is: broccoli, summer squash, 2 bunches greens, lettuce, salad mix, bunching onions, kohlrabi, cabbage, cilantro, and parsley. Next week baby carrots and beets? Sunday! Jul 09 06 // 10:57 am // permalink ZapMoose
Today I may be turning on the juice to the moose fence. So far we haven’t had any further visitations, at least from moose. (I got stung twice by something really big on Thursday, and the voles are eating the cabbage, and whatever made the mystery holes in the squash moved on to the potatoes.) Whether or not the bear hide we hung in the corner of the garden is keeping the moose out, I’m not sure, but it definitely makes for a great conversation piece. The thing stinks pretty badly and there are parts of it that I wish I wasn’t able to identify. My dad and I are debating whether it is a “bearcrow” or “scaremoose.” I like the former. The remay is still on the garden, but I’m hoping that as soon as I get the juice turned on I’ll be able to remove the remay for good. It’s been close to two weeks now and it’s hard to keep track of things when they’re all covered up. On Wednesday I started uncovering everything every day when I get to the garden, and tucking it in to bed when I leave. It has the same feeling as opening and closing a cafe or something. The main frustration for me isn’t that I can’t see everything, or that I spend an hour or two every day covering and uncovering plants, but that it is starting to cause damage. Keeping all that remay on the crops for so long, and through so many heavy rains, has put a lot of stress on the plants - and me! Some of the outer brassica leaves are snapping and a few brussels have just given up and fallen into the paths. This week I’m going to be able to distribute kohlrabi, cabbage and broccoli! I’m getting pea blossoms, the squash are sizing up, and the storage turnips and rutabagas are looking great. I’ve passed the halfway mark for the season, and I’m already sad that I have to leave. I’ve been having car trouble, battery related, which I think is funny in tandem with this electric fence problem. Hopefully it won’t get too much funnier. Attendance among my students has been pretty poor lately. My one superstar student is the only thing really keeping things afloat. She has become my sidekick. The other one who was coming regularly has been having bike trouble, among other things, so hopefully he’ll get that worked out. But that’s just two out of what’s supposed to be six. We lost a lot for various reasons. They are back in school starting Monday so we are going to do some serious recruiting. Two students for two hours a day is not enough! Saturday! Jul 01 06 // 03:23 pm // permalink 10 weeks and counting…
 I just spent over three hours editing, uploading to flickr, and organizing into sets all the photos I’ve taken since arriving in Alaska. I’d recommend looking at the sets (along the right side of the page), as it makes more sense than the disordered photostream. There are separate sets for each week of the garden as well as a general Alaska set, a Chuck Wagon set, and a few other sets for activities I’ve done off the farm (parties, Denali, hikes, etc.). It is so interesting to see the progression of the garden, especially around week 5, when suddenly everything explodes. There aren’t any photos of my students yet, because they are minors and this program is like all offical and I still need to get a release form signed by their parents. The photo above is featured with my profile on the staff page of the Calypso website. Please note that this photo was staged. I don’t regularly use a children’s rake on onion starts. I use a big one. That way they are destroyed more readily. Wednesday! Jun 28 06 // 08:10 am // permalink It was inevitable
Yesterday was a thrilling day. Not only because it was our fourth harvest day, and we had tons of big beautiful produce for people, but because we had a moose attack. It came Monday night, and ate the tops off about twenty cauliflower plants. The other end of the same two rows had been devistated by cutworms a few weeks back, with broccoli losses totalling over 50 plants. I’m starting to think those two rows may be cursed. The moose fence only has one of three gates installed - my project for today was to build and install the other two. The top of the fence is still without electrified lines, and hopefully the people who were supposed to help me with that have taken notice of the emergency and plan on moving this project to the top of the priority list. So last night I covered everything in the garden with remay. Everything. Just like when it was so cold a few weeks back. Except now everything is huge and some rows need two pieces of remay, one on each side and pinned at the top. The remay is to fool the moose into thinking there isn’t anything in the garden to eat. Apparently this has worked in the past. I’m skeptical (that’s right, Milkmaid). The share for this week is: Wednesday! Jun 21 06 // 07:19 pm // permalink Happy Solstice!
24 hours of sunlight here! The locals all say, “yeah, but this just means we’re starting the slow descent into total darkness.” I’m sort of sorry I’ll be gone before winter. Tuesday! Jun 20 06 // 08:06 am // permalink First harvest(s)
Friday was our first harvest - it went well. Six out of nine shareholders came to pick up 3/4lb salad mix, a bunch of arugula, a bunch of chives and a little bit of lovage. Today the other half of our shareholders will pick up. The share will be slightly different since my spinach bolted over the weekend and the chinese cabbage looks like it may do the same. I should have trusted my instincts and just harvested the spinach on Friday! Friday! Jun 09 06 // 05:36 am // permalink Ray-Ray’s Rock and Roll Garden
My students are incredible, and I am so in love with them! They are great workers, and are super fun, and all call me Ray-Ray. The garden is almost totally in. The moose fence is almost totally up. Next Friday (the 16th) is our first distribution! Last weekend we had record lows…like two frosts in a row! Which is crazy even for inland Alaska this time of year. We covered everything at Calypso and at the EATinG garden. The garden didn’t lose more than a few flowers, but the farm lost a ton of stuff. Wildfires are starting early this year and yesterday I woke up and smelled smoke! They’re already shutting down part of the highway near us because the fires are so close. Crazy! I am really hoping to write more this weekend, but I’m starting to remember that blogging and farming don’t really mix well. Thanks for all the cards and letters! Monday! May 01 06 // 06:36 pm // permalink It’s so cold in Alaska
I’m here. It’s cold and there’s still snow. I’m taking a break from watching a goat being born. Some time I will have the energy to write a real update. Maybe this weekend? I miss everyone! Write me letters and I will write you back! Thursday! Apr 20 06 // 09:38 am // permalink Bionic Friends
 Thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone who came to my going away parties, bought t-shirts, or sent words of encouragement. Much love to: Abby Fishface, Adam, Alan, Allison, Amber, Ari, Batman, Brett, Carly, Chris, Chrissy, Corinne, Dad, David, Deb, Debbie, Ed, Ellie, Emily, Erica, Grandpa, Grandmother, Heather, Heavy Metal Brian, Holly, J*RAD, Jake, Jecca, Jeff, Jenna, Jeremy, Jess, Joan, John, Johnny B., JPB, Julie, Justin, Kari, Kenny, Laurie, Maggie, Marco, Mark, Mark, Matty, Michelle, Mike, Mike, Mikey, The Milkmaid, Mom, Morgan, Nan, Nicole, Noah, The Noracle, Pat, Rebecca, Reid, Renaye, Ross, Sarah, Stacy, Stan, Sue, Timberly, Tom, Tracie, Tracy, and Uncle Richie. Wednesday! Apr 19 06 // 09:37 am // permalink A Laska Ate My Baby
1. I got a hat. It’s merino wool. I am leaving tomorrow for Chicago! It’s true! And then I fly to Alaska on Monday! Oh my! Depending on how long it takes me to get settled up there, it may be a while till I update again. Please don’t let that stop you from emailing me. If you want my snail mail address, you can have it. |
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R&R Farm sans sheriff archive Weather in Ester, AK |