Making Hay While the Sun Shines

Monday, June 15, 2020
Hello friends,
              This is hay making season!  All across the county the sound of tractors mowing, raking, and baling hay.  We’ve had a fair amount of rain this spring and the grass is still lush.   It will be drying out fast with no rain in the last week, and none in the forecast.  Perfect for drying and baling hay.  At one time we had our own mower, rake, and square baler, but of course they were second hand and somewhat fragile.  You can hear this coming… yes, the baler broke down and we had to have a neighbor finish putting up the hay.  Now we just pay someone to do it and they have fancy equipment that they need to keep busy to pay for.  They pulled up to mow at about 6:30 this evening and finished at about 9.  Tomorrow they will rake and bale, and off to the next hayfield.
              Every evening we are having to water either the garden or the flower beds.  Now I’m really glad I have been laying down old hay for mulch.  Not only does it keep the weeds down, but now it keeps the moisture in the soil.  The lettuce is mostly picked, the snap peas are in full swing, and I see a couple of little zucchinis forming.  I also had to kill a few squash bugs!  Those pesky insects spoil all the fun.  Of course, I’m not going to put insecticide on my organic garden, so I have to  pick them off and kill them as I find them….