Rainy Days

When I was a kid I LOVED rainy days ... yup, I was a strange kid - but rainy days were a time to pull out the crochet.

My mom would just shake her head because I was starting on Christmas presents in April - like they ever made it to Christmas, they usually became birthday gifts since I couldn't wait to see how people would like them

But that is what rain meant to me -- worked great until about 9th grade, maybe 10th, when we had a MAJOR thunderstorm go through ... in the middle of the night the thunder was so loud it rattled my windows! Now I can't stand loud noises - didn't realize this until hubby took me to see fireworks over the lake, not a fun time was had, the lake is in like a canyon or valley so it echoes quite a bit.

So why am I telling you this?

Now I'm not only an adult but a farmer ... well, farmers wife

Rain is supposed to be a Good Thing, like the song says (although I only drink wine ... or tequila ... maybe some rum in daiquiris or piña coladas ... but that's all really really rare)

BUT ... rain makes the fields too wet for the tractor to work.  In fact it will sink to the axils and then whatever we try to pull it out with will get stuck ... it's a total comedy of errors, let me tell you - I think we had four vehicles stuck down there one year - the lawn mower, the Allis-Chamber, then the Ford tractor, and the the Astro van!  It was so sad ... finally had to call hubbys cousin to come over because his truck had a winch on it - no getting that stuck!

Now we have a permanent divot next to the long corn field where the van tires sunk down - so you have to be very careful when you check the fields or you could break an ankle.

We are supposed to get rain for the next 3 days ... we were going to put corn in at the beginning of May this year - I think we've been planting too late and that's why we have had such troubles but that's a different story ... that's still got a couple weeks yet.

POTATOES however ...

I bought 250 POUNDS of potatoes this year ... Yukon Gold, Norlands, Russets, and All Blues ... I think the Norland reds I got 100# of ... I do NOT want to pay the prices they want for potatoes at the store and more.  My seed potatoes cost less than $100 total, the store wants $1/pound ... I'm ahead, right?

After all, potatoes are supposed to be a 10:1 return ... for every pound you plant, you get 10 pounds back ... they say.

My potatoes will go at the end of the long field where the corn Simply will not grow -   E. V. E. R!!  My mother-in-law says that's where they would plant theirs and it grew great (we bought the property from the in-laws) so it should be okay..

Accept ...

It's at the bottom of a hill - means LOTS of water from run off, plus it's the last place to melt/dry from winter snow ... it is NEVER dry by Tax Day, not to mention May 1st.

Every thing I read says they are supposed to go in a month BEFORE the last frost - here, that's May 15th or so ... so ... Tax Day.

Hubby bought several pieces of equipment for the tractor to put them in ... I've been stressing that he needs to have no less than a foots length between the potatoes he drops in or they will choke each other out ... quite a bit of education over here...

BUT if we have to wait until the end of May like we usually do ... I'm thinking it's gonna cut down on the production.

Last time:

Hubby put them in the on the long side of the Triangle field, put in like 100# ... planted them FOUR INCHES APART!!!  I was sick in bed so I wasn't out there to supervise ... that's okay, the onion shoots went in with about 1 inch between them - if they were lucky - they were suppose to have no less than 4 inches between, they were Candy onions - like the big Vandalias /Vadalias (however you spell it) - huge, sweet, great for salads, French onion soup, cooking, freezing, dehydrating ... I admit, they would be great sellers too ... if we had any ... they are still growing - didn't dig up the tiny things last year so they are sprouting up again, small but ok, not quite as sweet as I'd like.

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Hmmm, okay it's been 3 days now ... it's still raining and now they say it will rain tomorrow too ...

Those potatoes are never going to get planted :-(