Finding the Space and Time

We're flying through the heart of the season, trying to keep pace with the last gasp push of summer weed germination, pulling ripe fruits out of the fields before unsanctioned mammal and avian visitors find the sugary orbs, getting crops in the ground on schedule, all before shorter days and cooler temperatures eventually slow life down in the fall.

Regular rainfall events and warm weather has accelerated both wanted and unwanted plant growth but also made hoeing around said crops challenging during what has been short dry windows. Miss a week or two of cultivating with our hoes and crops like arugula and napa cabbage are so big we can't even get in there without damaging them. Of course, that also means they typically are able to outcompete weeds by simply growing faster and shading them out. The ideal time to kill a week is during the thread stage, ie when the stem of the plant looks like a piece a thread and is killed easily. Later on, and they might have the strength to reroot, especially if they get rained on prior to serious desiccation.

Last week we took a gamble and hoped the incoming cold front would only bring wind and decided to hoe areas that couldn't wait for the forecast dry week ahead. Because of the more or less regular rainfall the past month and a half, some long-lived crops we've hoed still need to be hand-weeded, especially right around the crops where the hoes can't reach, and some need another round of cultivation. With the good-weather week up ahead, we should be perfectly caught up on that front. By the way, there is some inherent pleasure derived from using the right tool to undermine weeds at the right time in the right conditions. It's also great exercise.