This crab spider (on ACDC 7) appears thrilled to be here for our first Harvest Day of 2020! September 13 I won’t lie. This morning feels a bit like a holiday or birthday morning. I’ve been up since 5:30, already showered and into the overalls. My toes are wiggly....
You know it has entered harvest time when the front side of the leaf is green and the backside is purple. This orb spider points toward one of the first signs of autumn in the beds. First, just a few words of thanks to the excellent zoom session yesterday with...
Bee and Azure left yesterday, and as a parent, I am not always a fan of empty nest reminders. They had been inside with us for most of two weeks, without masks, just like the old days. It was family. Toward the end of their stay, they were exposed to others, and had...
Dawn rising, this is a view of some of the southern hill treeline that shades my crop in afternoons and evenings. September 5 All evacuees in our area have been allowed to come home. Our entire region of the world breathes a sigh of relief, and offers our sincere...
This is ACDC 22 catching an evening ray of light through the trees. September 1 First of September means it’s a BT day. Approximately ten young worm nests were found yesterday, so the white moths have been active during the fire. As every plant is flowering, worm...
The kit is a constant around here now. Such a fine fellow. It watches while I prune. As you read this blog, we are two weeks or less from harvesting our first plant, Shiatsu Kush. It will be good to have an early harvest plant to shake the dust off our trimming chops....
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to the brave people fighting the fire so close to us. It’s August 24, 2020 and just after 6:00 this evening, an immediate evacuation was ordered for some roads a few miles south of us that are up the hillside and closest to...
Today, we work in the garden. While we work, we watch the wind. While we watch, we listen for the phone, or the Hi/Low siren that will tell us it’s time to leave. I don’t think we’ll have to leave, but that’s no more than a guess based on the weather I expect over the...
That smoke over the hillside is the Woodside fire. Passed the four month birthday for the plants a couple of days ago. That means we are ⅔ through the entire process. The home stretch beckons. At 11:00 last night, we got a message of a fire evacuation going on in our...
Here you can see a friendly bumblebee making its way around the new lavender that has grown since Karen harvested a bunch several weeks ago. August 14 We are having our first 100 degree day (37.7C), with only 17% humidity. Weather like this is good for two things: 1)...
This is Shiatsu Kush, on around day 21 of flowering in this video, and we hope this is a preview of coming attractions. We want to get footage soon of bees interacting with cannabis flowers. Karen said this one was getting into the flowers, but before she started...
This is RK 18, with a cabbage moth flying by for inspection. This plant is still in veg growing mode, though it won’t be for much longer. She is at the other end of the beds from where we take the photo at the conclusion of each blog, so she’s not as obvious to the...
First things first. Several weeks ago, our child, Brenden, informed us they are gender neutral, and would prefer being called Bee, but is also ok with us calling them boo, because that’s what we’ve always called our second born (by 10 minutes) child. I had not...
Our grow supervisor this year is a kit. This fine fellow sat and watched us while we pruned. We should have cropped the bucket out. August 1 As we roll along into the back end of this grow, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge my appreciation for others who help...
This morning was the first 4.5 gallon spray. That’s full capacity for my foliar sprayer. From here until we start cutting down plants, every foliar spray will be a full tank plus however much more I’ll need to finish. Last year,...
May 27 July 27 Two months ago today, I put plants in the beds. When you’re out there every day, you definitely notice the growth. There are little benchmarks you follow. How quickly do the tops grow from one rung on the cage to the next? How much do they grow in 24...
July 21 With one plant having begun the flowering process, it is now glove wearing season in the beds. I did my initial pruning of Shiatsu Kush. Many more to come. She has already become sticky. From here on, I want as few fingers as possible to touch these plants,...
July 18 We understand that as our plants mature, and especially through the flowering period, we will have more bees inspecting the cannabis. We expect that some of them, both honeybee and bumblebee, will take long afternoon naps on fan leaves. This will become...
July 14 It’s official. We have a kit living on the property. Not sure how old, but it’s a youngster. Fox eventually become nocturnal hunters, but when they are kits, they are looking for food, and generally checking everything out during the day. We must be vigilant...
Let’s take a tour of the beds and review the progress of each plant to date. We’re about two to three weeks from when an increase in afternoon shade will begin pushing some of the plants toward flowering. But right now, they are in a peak period of vegetative growth....
We have the return of borage all over the beds and aviary. This one is a youngster in the spice rack next to the lavender.This is why we’re seeing more beneficial insects. Here is an insect with an interesting story: The Green Sweat Bee, investigating a calendula...
July 4 This is blog #40 for the 2020 Isolation Grow, falling on July 4 in America, Independence Day. Magic Jordan seeds are in the house! Thank you, Canadien Hemp Company! No fireworks this year. To make up for a lack of family, company or pyrotechnics, I’m going to...
Let’s start today’s blog with a little breakfast. Fresh huckleberry pancake cooked on cast iron in coals from the previous night’s fire. Anyone want to go camping? June 30 Eight of thirteen plants now have the second part of the tomato cage attached. Last year, for...
June 26 Look at the damage to the top of RK 16. One insect could not do all this. I consciously looked at that top two days ago and did not see this level of damage. It looked like this plant had been visited by a small cluster of western cucumber beetles. Where had...
June 23 We received some stunning and hopeful news last evening. One of our very best friends, who is also immunocompromised, someone I grow for, had Covid-19 and has recovered. We knew she was sick back in March, and we kept telling her to get tested. Of course, she...
June 20 It’s officially summer when I break out the two tablespoon spoon. It’s what I use for foliar sprays and I could not find it. It was buried in a box of stuff about to be tossed. It takes two tablespoons of Regalia per gallon, and this morning, every plant in...
Prior to cannabis, prior to illness, and way, way before Covid-19, we used to have a Summer Solstice party. I’m sure some of you did, too. Remember going to a party? With lots of friends? Solstice evokes memories, and awakens ghosts for me. There are many great...
June 12 All gardening plans are subject to change. In the last blog, I wrote that I was about to do the first Regalia foliar spray, and that we’d do a BT spray before the end of June. After plant inspection with Brenden, before he began training plants, we determined...
June 10 I don’t know anyone who is having an easy time right now. I’m not certain I’d trust someone if they said they were not struggling. We have been feeling increased stress. I’m certain stress played a major part in my recent weekend malady. Stress is...
Sorry, folks. I became unexpectedly ill over the weekend. (not Covid-19) Plants are fine and growing. Back soon I hope.