Bloom Where You're Planted Farm

Our latest project, the renovation of the former entry room of the schoolhouse into a concession kitchen, is zipping along.  The walls, ceiling, lighting, outlets and ceiling fan are all in.  The walls are painted the same pale yellow as the rest of the building's interior, and my much-anticipated dark red and pale yellow checkered linoleum floor is in.  I just love it, and hope to have photos up soon.  As I write this Terry is in the shop building the cabinets.  They'll be painted a vintage-inspired green color called "Guacamole".  I wouldn't be brave enough to do these bright colors in my house, but feel like I can have my fun with this kitchen and not have to live with it all day, every day!

The pumpkins are "setting fruit" and the vines are really spreading.  We have had the usual issues with bugs -- we fight a bug called the Cucumber Beetle and they can wreak havoc in the patch.  They nibble on the leaves and blossoms, but the amount they eat isn't the issue.  The problems come because some of them carry a harmful bacteria that gets into the plant's system and makes the vines wilt and eventually die.  Part of the reason we plant SO many plants is to compensate for the loss that is bound to happen.  Still, we value every plant and it is very frustrating to watch!  We try to look past the losses and focus on the healthy plants and all the exciting growth that is happening to keep our spirits up!

Our county fair is about 10 days away (Already??? WHERE has the summer gone??) and I've been printing brochures and handouts and getting everything ready for our booth.  We really enjoy getting to see our customers and friends again, and many stop by the booth just to say "hi!"  Here's a link to the schedule.

Tomorrow we'll be taking the day off to celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary.  We've been having pleasant (not so hot and humid) temps so it should be a nice day to play hooky!  :-)  Have a great weekend!

It has been almost seven weeks since we first started planting this year's pumpkin crop.  The average pumpkin takes 90-100 days to grow, so this means we are approaching the half-way point for many of the varieties. 

The plants are looking pretty good, thanks to our regular rains and minimal amount of hot, windy days.  Pumpkins can handle a lot of heat, but hot wind is very tough on them.  We've had our usual bug problems, and plenty of weeds to deal with (they've enjoyed the rain, too!) but it could be much worse.  Overall, we're pleased and grateful for the growth we can see every time we visit the fields.

We're also very grateful to see lots and lots of bees, as we rely on them to pollinate the flowers.  Many of the flowers I looked at this morning had two or more bees apiece!  Did you know there is a type of bee called the "Squash Bee"?  These make up the majority of our pollinators.  Here is some information about squash bees from Auburn University's website:  "Unlike honey bees, squash bees do not live in social colonies.  Each female digs her own vertical tunnel in the ground, usually near the host plants, and spends the morning gathering nectar and pollen to feed her offspring. A squash bee's foraging activity is highly synchronized with the host plants' bloom: the bee emerges from her burrow near dawn as the flowers open, quickly gathers pollen and nectar, and ceases foraging by late morning when the flowers close. Males, in contrast, patrol host flowers all morning looking for unmated females, then crawl into a wilting flower to pass the afternoon and night." 

Fascinating, isn't it?? 

Its hard to believe that we open for our fall season ten weeks from this Saturday.  With the way the weeks have been flying by, that is a little scary but VERY motivating for us!

We've been working hard tending to the pumpkins.  There has been a LOT of weeding to do, plus fertilizing and bug control.  We've been fortunate enough to have pretty regular rains, and the plants are doing well.  There are a few blooms and baby fruits starting to appear -- an exciting sight for pumpkin farmers!

Progress is being made in the schoolhouse.  We installed a screen door on the walk-in door, a door closer on the restroom door (both health dept. requirements) and are mostly done with the wiring in the kitchen.  Most of the other materials have been purchased and are waiting to be installed.  It won't be long until the drywall goes up and the place will really start to look like something.  I love decorating, and even though this is just a concession kitchen it can still be cute, right?  We picked out a red and yellow-checkered linoleum tile floor and I'm trying to decide on cabinet and wall paint colors.

I've been ordering merchandise for the gift shop and am getting anxious to begin the set up.  Organizing and creating displays is one of my favorite tasks, but I'm trying to wait until August to get started.  I've also been painting signs, adding events to our website, and updating the displays for our booth at the county fair in early August.  So much to do, and so little time!