11/4/11, Thursday
Freeze last night.  Looks like it got most everything.  We had been 
doing two farmers markets: Lockhart and Dripping Springs; we gave up 
on Dripping Springs a couple of weeks ago.  We got our normal Friday 
picking done Thursday anticipating the freeze so we will have stuff 
to take to Lockhart tomorrow but probably not afterward.

Most of my business all season has been okra and zucchini for grocery 
stores.  Mostly, that's all gone and I look forward to not having to 
sell and deliver it.  We did cover up two rows of young zucchini and 
that could produce in a couple of weeks.  Though it did get some damage 
through the cover.  We might be able to glean some stuff from dense 
rows; I have tomato rows that are about 3' high and 3' wide.  We can 
see in a couple of days.  Sadly, the big tomatoes were just starting to 
produce their fall crop.

Sparse plans for the winter.  A row of kale is up.  Jean wants me to 
do a row of spinach for our own use and I probably will.  I enjoyed 
doing some onions last season but demand was so low I plan to skip 
them this season.  I normally do some winter broccoli but demand for 
it is low too.

Drought continues.  A burn ban remains in effect.  Most of our native 
trees are dead and pose a fire hazard.  In several months, we had one 
rain of about 1.5" and, more recently, about 2.3".  After the recent 
rain, we were able to pick a little asparagus.  No runoff from either 
rain.  A little mud in the bottoms of our tanks.  A couple of months 
ago, I had some bentonite put in the bottoms of two tanks.  I eagerly 
await a runoff rain to see if they hold water better.

With the experience of the 9/11 fire, I put some well water in one of 
our dry tanks to make the water available for fire fighting.  Pumped 
about 50 gpm for about three days.

I have tentative plans to skip most growing for Spring and Summer and 
do some traveling.

9/11/11
REAL news today!
Fair size fire only about 1/2 mile away.  Became aware of it about 2pm. 
By 4pm most of the excitement was over.  Heard much gun fire over in 
that direction around noon.  Apparently some yahoos from town having a 
shooting outing.  Report is sheriff is looking for said yahoos driving 
a white jacked up suburban.  We had a twin engine spotter plane 
circling for many hours.  At 5pm, it's still circling.  Had at least 
three helicopters working, one a big Chinook.  Fire started on south 
side of railroad track off of Taylorsville Road.  Still have at least 
one helicopter working at 5pm.  Several houses on Taylorsville were 
evacuated.  Taylorsville Road blocked by sherrif just a few hundred 
yards south of our house.  People from all over the area parked up and 
down our road watching the show.  Jean was REAL excited.  She was 
gathering up stuff in case we were evacuated.  Don't know area covered 
by fire, maybe 200 acres.  Don't know if houses were burned; I'll take 
a turn down Taylorsville tomorrow and see what is to be seen.  Without 
the quick and vigorous response, it might have gotten us.  Probably, if 
all the Bastrop fires were still raging, we would have not gotten such 
vigorous response.  We didn't make the 5pm news.

82 days above 100 deg.  Cool wave is over.  Okra production has perked 
back up.  We went about three days without air conditioning.

9/9/11
Heat wave broke at somewhere around 80 days above 100 deg.  Cool 
weather slowed the okra a bit.  Peppers continue to disappoint.  
Blackeye peas are producing some, but not enough.  Watermelon are about 
finished.
I planted just a few Sun Drop tomatoes just because the plants were 
available and I had room to haul them.  A pleasant surprise.  They are 
still producing some valuable tomatoes while all other have quit.  
OTOH, Cherokee Purple is perhaps the sorriest variety I have 
encountered.
Big news is the fires that started Labor Day weekend.  Big Delhi fire 
was about 10 miles south.  Big Cedar Creek fire was about 15 mile 
north.  Enormous eastern Bastrop County fire was 20+ miles away.  We 
ARE at great risk since the drought has killed about 1/2 of our native 
trees.
Golf cart and electric truck both broke down; I'm hauling stuff to the 
barn in the Hyundai and the Leaf.  Vacuum pump on the Hyundai quit 
working so I have a very hard brake peddle.  I LOVE the Leaf, 
completely trouble free.

8/30/11
Hardly any tomatoes now.  Consequently, market sales are suffering.
We've gotten about 15 skunks in the past few weeks and we have hope of 
getting more cantaloupe.  Desert King watermelon have been producing 
for the past couple of weeks.  With more water, the okra is much 
happier; we've gone from less than two boxes per day to over three.  
About 50 lb to about 100.
Peppers remain a disappointment.  Eggplant has greatly slowed.  BE peas 
are producing very little; deer depredation I suspect.  That and okra 
competition.  Since I need a lot more okra, I'm letting volunteer okra 
come up in the peas.  The next two rows of peas, coming in 4-5 weeks, 
will have no okra competition.
Grocery store sales of mostly okra and some zucchini continues to go 
very well.
So far, 76 days above 100 deg.  Will almost certainly make 80.  
Essentially no rain all summer.  Got about 15/100 last week.  Some in 
the forecast in a few days.  We got our rainwater tanks almost topped 
off back in June with about 1.5" of rain.  Right now, we have about 
10,000 gallons in our 17,000 gallons of tanks.
EV delivery continues to go very well; we haven't put liquid petroleum 
in a fuel tank in many months.  Well, except for tractors.

8/18/11
Dripping Springs has been a pleasant surprise!  Sales are good.  I 
deliver to the HEB in DS Saturday mornings and drop off stuff to be 
sold at the market.
Tomatoes have slowed WAY down, but still giving some.  Trying to 
extract pepper plants from weeds so they have a chance of producing 
better.  We are close to getting some blackeye peas.  Starting to get 
some Desert King watermelon.  Skunks put an end to cantaloupe; we are 
thinning them out; I think we got eight in the past two weeks.
I decided I was under-watering everything, so I turned on another well 
about a week ago.  Things are perking up.  I especially need more okra.
Wish I had time to get some water on the asparagus.

7/31/11
I have people selling for me at the Saturday mornings Dripping Springs 
and Lockhart markets.  Both are surprisingly good.
Production of zucchini has been up and down.  Okra just keeps on 
keeping on.  Grocery store demand for both is good.
I'm flood irrigating all crops; that is splitting about 80% of my 
tomatoes.
Bell peppers are just getting started.  I have too many eggplant.
We have an unusually large population of skunks this year.  I notice 
several every morning before dawn.  It seems they are getting my 
cantaloupe.  With this horrible drought, pickings are slim for all 
wildlife.  But it is time to start thinning them out.
Check out my new "Electric Farm" link on the main page.

7/17/11
Again, it has been a long time since I've posted here.  Three months!
Things have been hectic.  Grocery store business is good.  Farmers 
markets are VERY poor.  PYO is non-existent.
Teodore is allowing me to produce good quantities of zucchini and okra 
which are easy to sell to grocery stores.  
I regret having spent precious labor growing crops for farmers markets: 
onions, carrots, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, leeks, chard, 
cantaloupe, watermelon.  
The destroyer of the Travis County Farmers Market quite a few years 
ago has been welcomed into the Cedar Park Farmers Market and I have 
left.  No great loss since business there has been so poor.  I will 
try the Lockhart market for a few weeks and see what happens.  Maybe do 
a few HOPE markets.

Potatoes were a great disappointment.  Not just the lack of demand, 
they have had a high rate of rot.  I left about 1/3 of them un-dug.
New peach trees did not look promising before they were obscured by 
weeds.  Haven't had time to control weeds.
I inter-planted pears in old peaches.  Looks like a low survival rate 
there, too.
I have about six blackberry survivors out of the 250 planted.
Native trees continue to die at an alarming rate.
Late in our asparagus season, I planted about 1500 new crowns and plan 
to plant about 3000 more this winter.  That'll bring me up to more than 
three acres.  Since asparagus has sold well at farmers markets, I may 
sell only asparagus at farmers markets next year.
I should not fail to mention the extraordinary high heat and drought.  
We've had two rainy spells this Spring and Summer, each yielding less 
than two inches.  Keeping water on crops is a challenge.  And it is 
tempting to stay in the air conditioned house during daylight hours.
OH! Another item:  We took delivery of our Leaf about a month ago and 
have been using it for delivery where ever possible.  In fact, we have 
not delivered to a grocery store this year in a petroleum fueled 
vehicle.  Up to 90 mile trips, we use the Leaf.  Up to 150 miles, we 
use the Hyundai conversion which has recently been upgraded from 45 
cells to 48.  The Leaf can haul about 14 banana boxes, the Hyundai, no 
more than 10.  I recently bought a Zap Xebra.  That and a golf cart 
provide all the on-farm transport.


4/24/11
I don't know why, but I seem to be making frequent posts here.  No 
apparent audience, though.
FINALLY got started planting peaches.  Should finish up today.  Could 
have a poor survival rate due to the late planting.  Old peach planting 
is in very poor state of health.  However, FlordaKings are starting to 
show some color.  Squirrels are getting many of them; I've taken to 
carrying a pistol as travel about.
Down to less than two pounds of asparagus per day.  Will have to give 
up soon.
Should pick the first of the zucchini today or tomorrow.  Pulled a 
couple of potato plants two days ago.  Need to wait another week before 
we dig very many.
Lots of tomatoes set.  Just getting serious about planting tomatoes, 
peppers, and eggplant.
Carrots are sizing up nicely; we are pulling as many as we think we can 
sell.
Skipping Hope market today due to short asparagus supply and short 
demand on carrots, onions, etc.

4/17/11
Threatened frost on 4/15 failed to materialize.
Asparagus is about gone; we're down to 2-3 pounds per day.  Relatively 
short crop due to drought.  We got about 1,000 new Purple Passions 
planted; will probably pick them next year.  Plan to plant 3,000-4,000 
more green asparagus this winter.  Start picking in 2013.
Red new potatoes and zucchini probably in the next week.  Other crops 
look good.  Okra, squash, tomatoes.  Still a lot of tomatoes, peppers, 
and eggplant to plant.
New blackberries are coming up poorly.  Declining peach trees look 
poor.  STILL trying to get new peach trees in the ground.
Due to short asparagus supply, we did not do the second Round Rock 
market this past Wednesday.  The first RR market was marginal and too 
long.  Big crowd, but mostly tire kickers.
Current markets still Cedar Park Saturday and HOPE Sunday.
Our Nissan Leaf is scheduled for delivery this coming week!
Anyone reading this should email me, wmckemie@gmail.com, and make me 
think I have an audience.

4/5/11
FROST!  April 5th!  46 deg at the house.  Frost in the grass exposed to 
the sky.  After the thaw, I found quite a bit of damage to tomatoes and 
potatoes.  Didn't notice damage to squash and okra, but I could 
probably find some if I looked closely.  Potatoes will recover as will 
most of the tomatoes.
We will be doing the first Wednesday Round Rock market at the Dell 
Diamond tomorrow.  Starting at 4pm.
We did the Saturday Barton Creek Mall market a couple of times before 
asparagus production declined.  Current markets are: Saturday Cedar 
Park (at Lakeline Mall) and Sunday HOPE about 3 blocks east of IH35 on 
E5th. 

4/3/11
STILL no peach trees planted.  If this asparagus would just stop, I 
could get them in.  We've been doing two or three weekend markets and 
will start the Wednesday Round Rock market this week.  Selling mostly 
asparagus.
All the potatoes are up and will need some hilling/cultivation soon.
We're starting to plant some replacement Purple Passion asparagus; 
about 400 so far and about 600 to go.  Have to wet down the planting 
areas with hoses first.  Need rain.
Sold the last of the spinach yesterday.  Quit picking arugula.  
Starting to pull small onions and carrots.

3/30/11
Peak of asparagus has passed; only a good rain will revive it.
Heat has ruined the spinach.
STILL trying to get peach trees planted.
Some tomatoes are in and growing.  Some potatoes up and looking good.  
Both okra and squash is up.
Peaches look to be fully set.  Probably need to get some thinning done.
Old friend showed up a couple of weeks ago and spent several days 
helping me get caught up.  He planted potatoes and whipped the peach 
trees into shape.

3/8/11
Teodore has arrived and gives me a lot more capability to harvest and 
plant.
Light freeze a couple of days ago took all the tomatoes, about 120.
We've been picking asparagus daily though we're getting less than 10 
pounds per picking.  Selling it at the Cedar Park Farmers Market.
Spinach is being picked daily.  Arugula and green garlic round out my 
farmers market offerings.
Potatoes are only about half planted; wish I had bought 5 bags instead 
of 10.
New asparagus and blackberry plants have come in are waiting to get 
planted.
Fruit trees continue to sit in the cooler waiting to get planted.
Thinking about planting okra and squash.
Need to get eggplant, pepper, and tomato seed to the greenhouse to get 
transplants going.

2/20/11

Warm weather for a week or more.  FlordaKing peaches are blooming; they 
need to be pruned ASAP.

I noticed the first of the asparagus yesterday, about ten spears.  The 
asparagus patches received no attention in Summer and Fall; I just 
started cleaning them up a few weeks ago.  The patches were in as bad 
shape as I've seen.  Full of woody weeds about 6' tall.  I now have 
them in pretty good shape, clean middles, closely mowed tops.  Quite a 
few clumps of weeds that are resisting incorporation, though.  Traffic 
and continued cultivation will eventually take care of them.  Wish I 
had had an opportunity to burn.

Peach trees came in and I'm trying to get rows prepared; they need to 
go in ASAP.  I intend to put in about 120 trees, 5 rows of about 20.  
Yeah, I see the problem.  Anyone that wants a few trees, contact me 
before March.  Small trees, about $4 each.

Got potatoes last week.  Been cutting as time allows.  They need to go 
in ASAP.

Got a few flats of sacrificial tomatoes a few days ago.  Weather looks 
good in the foreseeable future and will get them in ASAP.  I have some 
freeze damaged plumbing to do before I can get pre-plant water out.

A few days ago, I ordered a few blackberries and vegetable seed.  This 
year, I intend for spinach, zucchini, and okra to be major crops.  
Minor crops: onion, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, peas.  Maybe 
watermelon, cantaloupe, long beans.

Broccoli looks to be completely freeze killed.  Carrots and onions are 
very slowly recovering.  Spinach doing a bit better.

2/9/11
Well, I've been MEANING to post here.

We've had some unusually cold weather, three days below freezing.  That 
rivals 1983 (I believe it was) that we were below freezing for five 
days.  In 1983, water supply and waste water lines froze up in our 
house and we had "walk across" ice on a big tank.  Not that bad this 
time.  We did get quite a bit of crop damage.  I have an unusual number 
of carrots and onions planted.  I looks like most of the onions are 
gone.  Spinach and arugula held up well but will not be pickable for 
several weeks.  I have a picker who is supposed to show up sometime in 
February so I have been planning on a semi-large crop of spinach.

Peach trees that line the road are in a steep decline and I have laid 
out three new rows beyond the primary vegetable area.  ~100 trees 
should arrive any day now.

I still haven't done anything about re-re-replanting blackberries, but 
I intend to.

I'm making plans to get my spring transplants going.  Tomatoes, 
peppers, eggplant, etc.  I'm going to try to get potatoes ordered for 
planting in the next week or so.

I've been doing the Cedar Park and Hope markets only sporadically.  
That's due to an unusually cold winter and a health problem: