Glorious sunny March day

Been so busy!

When I'm not working in the greenhouse or pruning our trees I've gotten quite a few new small home orchards to take care of this year.

The work at the micropropagation lab has also continued tho it is a slow process. Not surprising considering all the intricacies involved.

On top of that I've been giving my Python skills a polish over at Hacker Rank. That's been very fun, when I can find the time.

Finally I got a delightful shock to have this blog discussed at a recent Tech Hub/Soggy dinner. Would be a blast if we got a visitor or two from that crowd this summer and appropriately cyclical since it was Dave and Sara Lowe who introduced me to Soggy and the Rogue Hack Lab when they were still customers of ours.

Wishing you each and all a wonderful day full of meaning  and purpose.

Busy Winter

A busy winter is a nice change of pace. Starting on a new pretty good size 40+ tree pruning job around this weekend.

I've also picked up an interesting side job consulting with a local company which is starting up a plant tissue micropropagation facility. I did this for a few years back between about 2004 to 2006 there are even a few post on this blog about it. I think these fellas will have more luck than I did since they already have some market plans. Like my dad often said "Anyone can grow the stuff, selling it is the trick." Actually very excited to help them with this project.

Have begun clean-up of the greenhouse for this year's nursery prep. Seed order, new sprouting pots to order and soil to mix all coming up soon.

Hope this winter is keeping your life full with joyful moments.

Busy autumn

Before the frost rolled in and destroyed many of our crops I managed to cover about 100 feet of two rows of tomatoes with hoops and plastic. So we will be open several weeks into November selling those little gems.

The fall colors have really turned out dynamite this year. Could be the long, hot smoky summer and the early hard frosts but whatever it is it's delightful.

We've switched to an 11am opening which should be giving me an easy start to each day but I'm still finding so much to do that I can hardly get to the stand on time.

Kale! I've never raised it before but I'm taking a liking to it. What a lovely aroma! and one of the varieties I raised has a gorgeous purple color.

Happy Halloween everyone!

What insomnia is good for

Spent a little more time getting this animation code dialed in:

Gotta head out now and move some sprinklers.

almost working right

Just about got it right, (tomatoes)

Running so late

Seldom have we been planting the main season crops so close to the solstice but at least I'm getting them in a little before that. 100 tomato plants in this morning, 36 mixed squash and a couple dozen watermelon plants too. I also pushed in about 500 feet of our customer's favorite the Incredible sweet corn.

This last week I pushed in just shy of 1000 feet of sweet corn, Bodacious type as well as about 200 feet of  mixed winter squash and about 230 feet of watermelon (Charleston Grey, Jubillee rattlesnake type, Moon-N-Stars, and Black Diamond).

I tell you, it can be tough at times. My back gets sore and my worries weigh me down but the open sky, bird songs and the gorgeous mountains which surround our lovely little farm soothe my spirit.

Only a few days of spring left, hope you each and all relish them with gusto :)

Spring scramble 30

Busy, busy! Soil prepped for corn seed and first transplantings but waiting now for the irrigation ditch to be filled. Maybe a week, 2 tops from history and rumors of how much work the irrigation district has done.

This is our 30th year! have I mentioned this yet?

Splendid spring to you all!

Strange spring days

What a strange spring we are having! Rain, rain, rain. I'm behind in the nursery work this year. I'd say again but last year I was way ahead of this year's schedule. I'm also staring down the business end of a carburetor rebuild for dad's little Farmall Cub which I have sort of developed a mental block against. And my bro is still trying to find time to get over here to finish bleeding the fuel lines on the Massey Ferguson. Which means all these things cancel out since the ground is too wet to plow much less plant anything in. Weeks of rains still in the forecast too.

I've been reading a lot of other farmer's accounts of this spring so I'm not feeling too bad about where I'm at. Many of us struggling with wet and cold conditions. And I have got a fair number of maters and melons in the nursery, just running a bit late which might not be bad at all if they can't go in until June.

Fielder mountain is gorgeous this morning with vivid green growth and a parade of puffy clouds strolling along with a few storm giants in front of it.

The bluejays, doves, grosbeak, finches and sparrows have been busy at the feeder this morning. I'll have to dump them the last of this bag of seed and pick up another soon. I've got to say if you have fruit trees especially apple or pear which are bothered by coddling moth it really pays to keep feeders in your yard. The birds love coddling moths for a snack. The pear tree in our yard never has any coddling moth holes in the fruit.

Wishing you each and all a splendid spring day.

Waking up to snow

A lot of us in Oregon waking up to snow on the ground this morning. A couple flurries have blown through here but most of the inch or so we had has melted off already.

Mom's 2 new solar dancers (a dinosaur and a "whale") are rockin' and jiggin' on the back of the couch by the front window. I just came in from putting the heater in her car so it'll be toasty when she goes to the Needlers meeting later on.

A bunch of little chores on my list today. We picked up perlite and vermiculite at Grange Coop yesterday so no more excuses, I'll be mixing soil today. Gotta wash trays & pots too.

I-5 has been rumblin' crazy busy since about 5 this morning. I can see a bunch of silvery flashes from cars and trucks racing by. The rest of Fielder above I-5 is completely vanished in a wall of heavy fog.

In the midst of life's pains, fears and worries there is still time for comfort, small joys and humble pleasures; don't ignore them!

A glorious late winter morning.

Settling in for a lazy Sunday morning nap. Oatmeal & toast for breakfast w/ Ayurvedic Roast coffee substitute & hazelnut creamer, so yummy!

Was watching "Values of the Founding Fathers" on CSPAN but it got kinda boring after the opening speech. Mom watched "Knit & Crochet now" off the DVR then snoozed off. Easy Listening on the Music Choice now.

Dreamt about Sparky last night. We curled up on the sofa and watched "Peanuts" cartoons with Snoopy. 1st time I ever cried in a dream but Sparky licked my face and made me laugh.

I've been called out to estimate a big orchard job near Provolt this week, fingers crossed. Not sure how big, just told it was "many" trees, grapes and berries.

The yard is frozen and the birds are busy at the feeders. Mt. Fielder has draped a shawl of fog across its shoulders.

"Midnight at the Oasis" just popped up on my Spotify list. Boy, that brings back a long corridor of memories. "You don't need to answer, there's no need to speak".

Y'all have a super awesome late winter day :)

Almost done planting

Just have 1 last row of late summer squash to plant tomorrow and we'll finally be "laid by". A nearly mythical state wherein the amount of work to be done suddenly drops off. Last year I planted well into August but that was just because we started so late.

Just about everything is in flower, tassel has begun to emerge in the corn and the early watermelon are already bigger than a softball.

Lots and lots of weed control to do but between the craftsman rototiller and the ol' Cub cultivating tractor I'm staying a pace ahead. Was tilling besides the cucumbers when I had the delightful realization that I would not be fighting tall weeds to pick my cukes this year. Last year I had to spend so much time fixing automobiles and equipment it was a real mess. Still some bad nutsedge which will cut into production but at least I won't be shaking Johnson grass seed out of my hair.

Gotta head out soon, sure hope it's cooled down a bit. So very glad the ditch has remained full after GPID did some repairs earlier in the week (during our water days unfortunately) I'm just about caught up again.

If everything keeps clicking along at this pace we should be ready to open for sales to the public in about 2 weeks. Our 29th year!

A wonderful summer evening to you each and all.

Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and watermelon

Thousands of linear feet of summer fruits and veggies planted, gotta prep some fresh corn ground tomorrow. Low water on Sunday not even a surprise. Mulch and driptape mounds are soakin' wet and plants are lovin' it. Gotta do a few more things in the flower bed but we've got sprout there too.

Busy Spring 2016

Been poundin' busy for just over a week now. So far have finished soil prep and planted Bodacious sweet corn, Incredible sweet corn, Jubillee watermelon, Black Diamond watermelon, Charleston Grey watermelon, Moon-n-Stars watermelon, 4 kinds of cantaloupe, Ogen melon, Crenshaw melon, Juan De Canary melon, honeydew, Collective Farm Woman melon, Table Queen winter squash, Butternut, Delicata, Buttercup winter squash, Witch-Kissed pumpkins, Howden pumpkins, Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins and about a dozen more oddball things like radish, turnips, parsley, okra etc. which I had leftover from last year and just piled together and intercropped with the pumpkins.

Next week I will be planting 3 kinds of cucumbers and summer squash and beginning soil prep for the later fields of corn.

Rock on with your bad self! :)

Hey EverybodY! Sorry it's been so long. This season's farming has been fiercely tough so I've had to direct all my energy into work. Harvest is well under way with only the tomatoes still holding off in turning ripe. A giant pile of cantaloupe, Ogen melons and Juan De Canary melons have been giving me sore muscles instead.

Here's a great article any of my farming friends might find interesting: "They tell me not to get angry. But if I am honest, sometimes I do. "

On the precipice of planting

Fingers crossed I will be breaking ground tomorrow or Monday. Got the Cub International clucking along like a happy hen so I can jump the gun before the Massey-Ferguson is out of the shop and run the disk across what I hope will be the 1st field of corn.

Greenhouse busy

Tomato plants are nearing 6 inches tall. Ogen melon working on their 2nd true leaf while Crenshaw, Athena, Hannah's Choice and Hale's Best cantaloupe are all starting to emerge. Peppers are also up working on their 1st true leaf. Many more trays of plants to come some different some the same.

Supposed to rain tonight and tomorrow so won't be doing any tractor work yet. The Massey-Ferguson is still in the shop but I'm really gonna try to run the cub this week. Can't wait to try the plow, disc and terracer tools that came with it.

We're getting 3-4 calls a week interested in the farm but so far no one terribly sincere. Seems like most people don't understand we are selling a farm not a house. Sure there is a house but it is incidental to the farm. That's why we're figuring on running another year or even two if we must. You don't sell an operation like this to just anybody :)

Plum flower have already started setting fruit, pears and cherries are in full blossom and the 1st apple flowers opened up today. Even got a few peaches and nectarines set on. Various bees, wasps and diptera flies have been crazy busy getting that pollen moved.

Hope spring is filling your senses with delight.

Savage Creek Farm for sale

7.68 acres
1780 square foot residence.
Deep well with new pump.
Remodeled barn & other out buildings.
40+ fruit trees ranging in age from 80+ years to new.
30+ cottonwood trees ready to be cut for mushroom logs.
100s of grape vines of many varieties.
Sales building & big parking lot.
Rich, healthy soil loaded with life.
Plentiful irrigation.

Spectacular view of Mt. Fielder and surrounding area.

For 44 years this little family farm has been a successful business in the Rogue Valley. The last 27 years our family has been lucky to live here. We have raised and sold tremendous quantities of some of the finest tomatoes, corn, peppers, cantaloupe, melons, yams, grapes, apples, pears, plums, cherries and more products too numerous to list.

Sadly we lost dad three years ago and the work load along with navigating the stairs of a 2 story house have just become too much for me and mom. So she has decided to sell and we are hoping to find someone who will not only love the place as we have but also take advantage of the business we will be leaving behind. Many local clients are accustomed to stopping here throughout the spring and summer months.

In the picture the house & barn are located near the bottom & the sales room & parking area are near the top left. North is to the top which is also the bottom of the hill a stones throw away from the lovely & very fishable Rogue River.

For more info contact guy@savagecreekfarm.com or call 541-582-2059 between 9am & 6pm Pacific time.

Metamorphosis

Big news at Savage Creek Farm! After 27 years of fun and frolic we are moving on to other pursuits. Our little family farm has never failed us but this 2 story house and its stairs are getting to be too much for us old folks. We're really hoping we will be able to find someone who wants to continue farming here and running our great little fruit stand.

Winter suspension

Still fighting some virus or other but starting to feel a little better. Moved some furniture around today and realized quickly how out of shape being sick has made me.  Been popping fevers whenever I do even a little bit of activity too.

Had part of a poem come to me in the dark last night:

Barefoot on the cliff of history
toes curled over the edge of the abyss
balanced above the void
the future vast expanse
beyond all visions and thought

Winter head cold.

A runny nose is soooo infuriating. It makes it hard to work, concentrate or be comfortably productive. It's disappointing that 100 years of intense medical advances, scientific breakthroughs and other modern marvels have never yielded anything like a remedy for this tedious suffering. The closest thing I've ever found is a pint of my mom's spicy salsa juice. It works great at reducing discomfort but only for about 40 minutes and I just can't drink it all day long, it's too spicy!

I spent the day moving wood chips and cleaning up around the place between bouts of self-pity and nose-blowing. Ma went to the Needlers in Rogue River for some social crafting.

Gotta go put in the pizza now, y'all take care and stay warm.