Imagine you are a plant. You need to make sure you grow fast enough to get the sunlight which will otherwise go to other plants which outgrow you. And then make it through fruiting, meanwhile developing seed, so you can reproduce so more of your kind grow in the future. What will you do when it's dry, when other plants compete with you, or when your seed simply doesn't germinate? That's from a plant's perspective, but then there's the farmers' slightly removed perspective, channelled through the human psyche with a tendency to worry and perfectionism, which reveals another layer.
Imagine you are a farmer. You need to grow crops fast enough for them to fruit before the season ends. To aid them in getting enough sunlight so they grow strong and make lots of fruit. What will you do when it's dry and the nutrients the plants need are not mobile in the soil, and thus unavailable to them for their processes. How will you get enough water to them, and help make the nutrients available by other methods too. Think compost tea, hoeing, side-dressing and so on.
We've had a hard year in some regards and we don't always share that news, because we love telling of the hightlights. But it's been mighty dry, stunting growth and limiting plant health. And there has been awful carrot germination, leading to lots of extra bed preparation, re-seeding, time loss and concern. Then there's the 2021 crop which got away from us: a bumper burst of thistles which flowered and turned the field into a minefield of spikes and prickly bits. Not pleasant to walk on. Nor past. Nor to pull out. We are coping, but we appreciate every question of "How's farming?" except when we're really low, want to scream and can tell our audience isn't prepared for an uncontrolled answer. And we appreciate every person who comes to lend a hand, recognizing the challenge of small scale farming. Thanks for being a supportive, understanding part of the journey.
HINT: try grilling cucumber, and making simple fridge pickles.
