May 15, 2003

Cherries have come in great this year. On the third day of picking them now. Main concerns get them before the birds do and get them before it rains, which causes them to swell and split. Of course you have to take care not to fall off the ladder either.

Last year I planted some Hypericum (St. John's Wort) and Echinacea and Borage in a plot. The Borage came in, but the others never did. Was looking at the plot today and there is the Hypericum growing all over the place and there's a couple of Echinaceas too! The Echinaceas do need to freeze to germinate so that might have been it for them. Tried a couple of the tiny leaves from the Hypericum -- whoa Nelly! That stuff is mighty powerful. You can feel it right away. Has kind of a lemon-pine flavour. Both Hypericum and Echinacea are weeds and so my plan to grow very useful things easily by establishing them as weeds may have just taken another step forward!

My wife was out following our pet pheasant Fez around, and she stumbled into a last watermelon growing in the garden! This is unheard of in this area. There had been several frosts already but the watermelon was great.

October, 2001

Frost has arrived. Pulled up the tomato vines and hung them up in the garage. This way we'll have tomatoes all winter. Unexpectedly found two more watermelons in the garden. They were hidden underneath the tomato vines.

Copyright 2001-2004 X. J. Scott, Red Barn Goat Farm (nonoctave.com)