• About Marcia
  • About Gardening
    • Perennials
  • About My Mulch
  • Photo Gallery

A 3 Acre Farm

A 3 Acre Farm

Category Archives: Harvest

Who Goes There?

23 Tuesday Oct 2012

Posted by a3acrefarm in Harvest

≈ 22 Comments

Tags

beets, carrots, compost, corn, deer, garden, moose, mulch, parsnips, Premium Ground Cover, raccoons, skunks, soil, wheelbarrow

“Did you harvest the rest of the beets?” I asked my husband. With most of the carrots and parsnips and a few beets remaining in the garden, root crops were next on my chore list.

“I didn’t,” was Tim’s response. “I noticed they were gone when I composted the squash and pumpkin vines.”

“Maybe Dave pulled them,” I suggested, referring to America’s finest neighbor.  I hadn’t seen him, but he was welcome to help himself to whatever he wanted.

It was unexpectedly warm after several days of cold and rain, a good day for a harvest. The carrots came out of the ground easily, and soon a wheelbarrow was mounded. But when I neared the other end of the garden, the evidence was clear. Something had been eating my carrots! Where there should have been lush, green tops, intruders had feasted their way down the row. With mulched soil as soft as a loaf of good bread, the uninvited didn’t have to work very hard to tug up a lovely meal. Here and there was a chewed stub of carrot. That’s when I noticed the partially eaten beet. 

I’m grateful for an exceptional harvest this year. Certainly there have been challenges, like the night the raccoons raided the corn. All the corn. Every ear. Every single ear. But there has been plenty to eat, plenty to put by for the winter and plenty to give away. Certainly, I’d prefer not to share with the deer or skunks (or both) that enjoyed my beets and carrots, but as wildlife invasions go, it’s been a tolerable season. Not so for my friend, Shirley, whose garden, well-known in the animal kingdom, suffered a moose family take-out dinner party, among other adventures.

To all my four-legged and winged friends and foes, whatever you find in my winter compost pile is yours, and I promise, you’ll eat well.

The first wheelbarrow of carrots

Advertisement

When Harvest Becomes Urgent

15 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by a3acrefarm in Harvest

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

Harvest, Potatoes, Snow

Image

Harvesting potatoes in the early morning snow
Northern Maine – October 14, 2012

You Old Crank

14 Friday Sep 2012

Posted by a3acrefarm in Harvest

≈ 25 Comments

Tags

cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, green peppers, onions, pickles, red peppers, relish, tomatoes

Relish Day

My grandmother’s grinder – a gift from my grandfather

Green tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, cabbage, carrots, green and red peppers – enough to fill a canner

Fruits of the garden

As the relish cooks, cucumbers and onions are sliced for pickles

Summer goes with us into winter

Get Back!

20 Monday Aug 2012

Posted by a3acrefarm in Harvest

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

cucumbers, garden, Premium Ground Cover

In my garden, cucumbers are plotting to take over the farm. You may think I say this in jest. May I assure you, I do not. Just yesterday I marched outside and sternly warned the little cucurbits to keep their tendrils to themselves. Having alloted four (yes, four) generous spaces for them to run as they pleased, I saw no reason whatsoever for those rascally intruders to wrap themselves around the corn, choke the zucchini and climb the pea fence. All this mischief happened while I was busy picking a mountain of string beans. I just can’t turn my back for a minute.

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 45 other subscribers

Categories

  • Favorite Books
  • Harvest
  • Make This
  • Perennials
  • Photos
  • Recipes
  • Story
  • Tasks
  • Top Five
  • Water
  • Wildlife
Above Photos By: Hannah Robertson

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • A 3 Acre Farm
    • Join 45 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • A 3 Acre Farm
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...