Vines

(On the bus, tired, so its gonna be a lightning post)

Full sun most of the day, partly cloudy in the morning. The temperature slipped just under 80F.

Pulled in and got that greenhouse all watered. Stretch and NYU were sent off to start snipping back the runner-vines from the day neutral strawberry rows. The boss mixed up a big buckets worth of a dry nitrogen fertilizer and took me up to the hilltop fields. He gave me elbow length rubber gloves and went on his way. This stuff is pretty caustic to human skin (hence gloves), but I sprinkled the fertilizer down all the rows the boys and I weeded on Tuesday.

Finally finished and headed down to the farm store. The wholesaler was coming to pick up some snap peas and jam around noon. I dragged out a few buckets and 5 boxes worth of the peas-- then sifted through the lot taking out any rodent/fungus/rot damaged pods. 10lbs per box (or 10 3/4lb when accounting for the box), I got 'em all packed right before the truck came. Rhode Island helped me and the truck driver load all the jam and pea boxes into the back. Lunch time.


After lunch NYU, Stretch and I got the CSA set up. Some raspberries went out today-- Bah and Old Rudolpho's crew has been picking more and more berries. Easy is out for two weeks, so NYU became king of the CSA-- stuck greeting members and refilling wagons with produce as they empty. Stretch and I went out to the day neutral strawberries in the lower field to finish snipping vines. Things went slow.

Out in the sun we clipped away 4 hours. Cutting the vines helps keep the rows manageable/conserves the plant's strength for berry production. Mid-way through, the foreman called me over and we disconnected the two peas/fava bean irrigation lines. We double checked all the connections, then he ambled off to get the pump going. Back at the vines, I could hear the drip lines fill long before the water guns started to sound. I headed down to the end of all the drip lines, pulled their plugs, let the pond scum flush and then reattached the plugs. Stretch and I caught a serious bought of field madness after crawling around on our knees in the sun-- fortunately we finished the vine cutting with an hour or so till close.

We joined up with the foreman to reposition the tomato field irrigation line. The foreman shut the water gate, we disconnected each length and carried them up to their new position. We reassembled the line and reopened the gate--water flowed fine. The boss came down and seemed surprised that we finished clipping the strawberries-- so he sent us to weed the parking lot gardens till closing.


Got my check, got some jam for Darlin' and her parents, but I didn't bring 'riding liquor' for the bus (despite NYU's advice). It's still a long ways off to the city, a few more transfers to go. Can't wait to eat. drink. then sleep.

Take it easy everybody, next post is on Tuesday.