This year has been a spectacular fail as far as my agorist pursuits have been concerned up to now. People keep sending me this video of coming food shortages, and all I had been feeling was sorrow and regret for not making more of my garden this year.
I worked really hard at getting my garden going in the Spring before the irrigation water was turned on. I had a lot going. I was out hand watering the garden every morning. I planted a bunch of stuff. I put chicken wire around it to keep the girls out. We ate a lot of spinach, arugula, cilantro, mint, apples and radishes before the heat hit.
But when the heat hit... Oh, boy did it hit. I can’t describe how hot it was. I do not perform in the heat. Give me a brisk, cold winter morning to invigorate and revitalize me. The heat drags me down. Apparently, it’s the same for plants.
Many of the plants I had growing just got charred. The sun was just too much for them. The water was cut back by the city to two irrigation cycles a week. I learned that if the heat doesn’t cool off enough over night, plants won’t grow. So all that effort seemed to be for not. I walked away from the garden for most of June, July and August. Nothing was growing- except weeds. The whole space slowly got consumed by very tall weeds.
However, there is a perk to tall weeds in excessive heat. They provide some shade for the plants beneath them to cool and grow. The moisture didn’t completely evaporate under the weeds so the soil retained just enough moisture.
Now that it is cooler in September, I am clearing away tall weeds and have been discovering my efforts weren’t a total loss. Weeding the first row revealed a couple of surviving pumpkin vines which are quite promising!
My second row revealed a solid row of cabbage thickening up.
My third and fourth rows had feathery carrot leaves springing out.
Much clearing still needs to be accomplished, but I have snagged about 10 ripe grape tomatoes from under the thick weeds in the back. I know more will be revealed, and I am very excited at the prospects.
While I rest for more weed pulling tomorrow, I am enjoying the peace and quiet of sitting in the fresh cut grass enjoying the shade and quiet with my happy, free range chickens.
So, I feel a little better. I don’t know if I am ready for impending doom with food shortages. However, I have a lot of vitamin packed purslane that we can live on for quite some time before we starve to death in Utah.