A Mid-July Farm Update
Like so many places across the United States, here in the Northeast, we’ve been struggling through record-breaking temperatures. It’s been challenging at the farm to keep things watered and looking good. The excessive heat causes flowers to fade and wilt quickly. Tender crop plants, like lettuce and arugula go to seed way too soon. However, there are still many beautiful things to see, so please enjoy another tour around the farm.
1 A view of the farm from the boxwood allee - the sky was streaked with wispy cirrus clouds.
2 Inside the corn crib, the guinea fowl chicks, which are called keets, are growing nicely. These birds, when fully grown, will be allowed to wander around the farm during the day. Their diet is mostly bugs, and they can help control the population of pesky insects.
3 Highly fragrant trumpet lilies are blooming in the perennial bed outside the vegetable garden.
4 With the oppressive heat wave that we've been having, the vegetable garden has been having a bit of a struggle this year. Many things are bolting, or going to seed quickly.
5 The broccoli must be picked and eaten before it bolts.
6 This frilly savoy cabbage is forming nicely. It will soon start forming a nice heavy head.
7 This purple cabbage is nearly ready to pick. I'll turn it into a red slaw or maybe shred and sauté it with a red onion and a bit of red wine.
8 This amazing cauliflower is called Sicilian Violet. It loses its great color when cooked, but is much more flavorful than standard white cauliflower.
9 Tomato plants like it hot and are thriving beneath their bamboo tripod supports.
10 Wilmer is doing a great job with weed control. Here he is working the chive beds.
11 There are several varieties of peppers growing, both hot and sweet.
12 Hurry up and grow, eggplants! This one is called Orient Express.
13 There are several varieties of lettuce ready for picking.
14 There are also edible flowers growing in the vegetable garden, including these brightly-colored, peppery tasting nasturtiums. I like to garnish green salads with them.
15 This tall plant is anise hyssop, whose leaves and tiny lavender-blue flowers smell and taste of anise. Despite its name, anise hyssop is in the mint family. Bees and butterflies love this plant.
16 The blueberry bushes inside this bird netting are loaded with fruit.
17 We've been picking a lot of blueberries for jam, crisps, pies, and for eating.
18 Ryan, the gardener, has been busy pruning spent leaves from all the the potted tropical plants. Here he is working on one of two ensete plants that flank the entrance of the front gate. Ensete is in the banana family, but it does not produce edible fruit.
19 More amazing trumpet lilies in the shade garden
20 A closer look, but I wish I could share the fragrance!
21 More lilies blooming in the lily fern borders
22 A pure yellow lily
23 A very beautiful orange and white tiger lily
24 These feathery lavender astilbe flowers really brighten up this shade garden.
25 Viburnums are very versatile shrubs. They are covered with creamy flowers in the spring, followed by bright red berries in summer.
26 Viburnum berries are favored by birds and other wildlife.
27 Driving along one of the carriage roads - It's hard to believe that these large weeping willow trees were small saplings not too many years ago.
28 There are plenty of wild raspberries ripening in the woods along the carriage roads for wildlife to enjoy
29 A recently mowed hayfield - one of three on the farm
30 Approaching an old apple orchard
31 As you can see, there are plenty of apples on the limbs.
32 Walking beneath the long pergola towards my house
33 Alongside the pergola, the long line of hibiscus shrubs are blooming.
34 Also near the pergola are Papaver rhoeas, or corn poppies. These flowers bloomed by the trenches on the Western Front of the first World War and because of this, they are often worn in remembrance of the war.
35 There are almost 100 different species of Papaver, like this pale pink specimen.
36 Some are variegated in color.
37 And others have fringed petals.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
Everything is beautiful, Martha. But, number 27 would make a very beautiful picture to frame and hang.
Wilmer sure must be limber to bend from the waist like that, and he's doing a good job of weeding.
Ryan looks like he is hard at it.
Take care, Gloria G!!
Posted by: Gloria | July 11th, 2012 at 12:19 am
Thanks, as always, for taking the time to share pictures of the farm, the plants, crops and animals. Always a treat.
Posted by: Burndett Andres | July 11th, 2012 at 6:09 am
I sympathize with your record setting temps in the Northeast Martha. Last year was awful for us in South Texas. Thankfully we are getting rain this week to help keep the temps down and water our drought stricken areas. What a cute pic of the guinea chicks huddled in the corner of the corn crib! Can't wait to see them roaming your farm. Even with the veggie garden struggles, the cababges look nice and I love the Sicilian Violet cabbage. Thanks fornthe update on your farm Martha and I must share that I am beyond thrilled that my entry for the CraftStudio app comtest is a finalist!
Posted by: Cindy F | July 11th, 2012 at 7:52 am
Those poppies are beautiful!
Posted by: homer | July 11th, 2012 at 8:30 am
Good Morning Martha,
I have to go for some serious medical tests today and was so
hoping I could start my day with beautiful pictures of your farm.
It is very dry in the midwest too. Next year I will plant more succulents.
Enjoy all the beauty that surrounds you,
Kathy
Posted by: Kathy Peterson | July 11th, 2012 at 8:56 am
good to see im not the only one struggling with dry weather. I'm in ontario about 10 minutes from Harry Witteveens.
Posted by: darrell white | July 11th, 2012 at 9:30 am
Hi Martha, Oh, what a beautiful way to start the day by seeing another beautiful blog about your beautiful Bedford farm! I absolutely love all of these stunning photos! All of your vegetables look fabulous, especially the cabbages and the broccoli plus those lettuces! The blueberries look great, too! All of the flowers look gorgeous and the weeping willow trees are stunning! Those wild raspberries sure look great for the wildlife to enjoy! Even the recently mowed hayfield looks great, also! And then there are those beautiful apple trees! Everything near and under the pergola looks beautiful, too! Would love to see the corn fields, also! Would love to visit your farm, but being able to tour on your blog is great, too! The sky looks beautiful and so do those young guinea fowl chicks-can't wait to see them wondering around your farm! All of your fabulous seeds that I got at Home Depot are producing the best vegetables I've ever planted and lettuces, spinach, and swiss chard are now ready to eat and they are delicious! Hope you have another great day! Off to read The Daily Wag where GK tells us "What We Stumbled Upon in East Hampton"! Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | July 11th, 2012 at 9:53 am
Kathy Peterson, I hope all goes well today with your tests..please let us know how you're doing...Cindy
Posted by: Cindy F | July 11th, 2012 at 10:07 am
Martha,
Thanks for sharing this blog.
Posted by: KLBrown | July 11th, 2012 at 10:19 am
Hi Martha,
It’s been very dry down here in South Florida too but today we have rain. I’m glad I finished pulling weeds yesterday which I don’t mind doing because all that bending and reaching is good exercise. I consider it my yoga session for the day. As I type this, I’m watching Kristin St. Clair on HSN as she demonstrates punches, punch kits, glitter, etc. on Martha Stewart Crafts Celebration. I believe she will be on another hour this afternoon at 4 until 5 for anyone who missed it this morning.
~
Your garden may have ripened early but everything still looks great and better than anything I have. I didn’t do well with lettuce at all and I don’t see any peppers on my plants either – not yet anyway. My basil and dill have done well but that’s about it so I find it nice to see your plants and dream about what could have been. ha-ha Your guinea fowl are really cute the way they huddle together to look out at whatever is going on outside . They are probably itching to get out there so they can find their own bugs.
~
The other day I went back to check for more comments on a few blogs and noticed Celia Stock had posted a couple of poems so I wanted to tell her they were great! Also, congrats to Cindy on being a finalist with her CraftStudio entry. I wish I had an iPad and all of Martha’s apps – someday maybe.
~
I was also happy to read the news that you have signed a contract for another 5 years with your company which is amusing to me because I’ve always considered you to be the company. I know everything has to be official, all those contracts and everything but it still makes me smile.
~
Great segment on the Today Show – I like the idea of stacking food in little jars! Trish
Posted by: Trish | July 11th, 2012 at 11:57 am
Martha, you should have a contest of some type where the winners got to tour your grounds. That would be the prize of a lifetime!
Posted by: Chuck | July 11th, 2012 at 12:47 pm
I just wanted to thank you for the recommendation of "Yard Sale" in East Hampton. They couldn't have been nicer and raved about you and your daughter. I bought some beautiful glass candlesticks from the 30's and dessert plates. Thanks again!
Posted by: Ann Istrin | July 11th, 2012 at 2:37 pm
The vegetable garden looks absolutely amazing. I attempted a small square foot garden this year and the heat took its tool on it.
I am in the south but the heat this summer is also very hot and surprisingly dry. Thanks for the inspirational garden photos.
~Garret (Juicer @ juicingpedia)
Posted by: Juicingpedia | July 11th, 2012 at 2:45 pm
Hi Martha!,
I really enjoy photos of the farm... any of your homes. Beautiful summer. Up here in Southern New Brunswick we are having lovely weather. 28C and cools down to 12C at night. I am right on the Bay of Fundy near St. Andrews by the
Sea.
I am envying the health of your lillies. Last year the Lilly Beetle showed up and they are chomping away at my lillies. I wonder how you protect your plants or if you have been visited by this beetle? All the gardeners here are very cross over their presence. Apparently there is some kind of concoction that you can put in the soil once the lillies sprout and it soaks into the plants as they grow and stops the beetles from eating them.
I have tried to squish them when I find them to no avail.
Thank you so much for posting your photos of the homes. It is a pleasant spot in my day or week when I see these posts.
Your grounds and gardens are just magnificent and I learn so much from you!
Cheers,
RT Scott
P.S. Sorry to hear about your beloved Cat passing away. It is always heartbreaking that we live longer than our dear pets. Hopefully they are waiting for us in Heaven for a joyfull reunion.
Posted by: RT Scott | July 11th, 2012 at 5:42 pm
Beautiful photos and gorgeous flowers
Posted by: Rowaida Flayhan | July 11th, 2012 at 7:01 pm
Love this plant. it attracts so many difernent kinds of butterflies.
Posted by: dana richmond | July 11th, 2012 at 9:32 pm
I, too, would like to wish Kathy well on her tests, and pray that all will turn out to be OK.
And, to congratulate Cindy F on being a finalist.
As for Celia Stock, I must have missed that part of the blogs. When I first got back on and was able to be a part of this community, again, I missed Celia,and went back trying to find her last poem, but I never did. I just pray she isn't sick, or hasn't been sick. Does anyone know?
Gloria G!!
Posted by: Gloria | July 12th, 2012 at 2:07 am
Loved the history lesson about the Corn Poppies....My Grandfather fought in WWI and I didn't know why the Poppies were symbolic.
Posted by: SK Walker | July 12th, 2012 at 7:19 am
I love all of your lilies. I have been having trouble getting rid of the red lily beetle that is eating holes in the leaves and in the buds. Have you had any experience getting rid of the pest.
Posted by: Laura R | July 12th, 2012 at 4:40 pm
Hi Martha...this is probably a silly question...but...do you eat/use the apples from the old apple orchard? Thanks...Liz
Posted by: Liz | July 12th, 2012 at 10:26 pm
Hello,
Such great pics......I am having a terrible time with rabbits eating my flowers this year.....I have been sprinkling garlic powder....one of the bunnies actually does not run from us....she keeps an eye on us but has no fear....I've tried leaving things they are supposed to like but they don't eat it.....just my grass and flowers...
Isn't this the best summer.....thought it was going to be terrible after the mild winter we had.....would love a repeat next winter.....asking too much I suppose
All the best,
Kathy
Posted by: Kathy :) | July 18th, 2012 at 12:53 am
Those are beautiful photos. Boy, our Trumpet Lilies sure haven't bloomed as well as yours this year, despite watering and all the TLC I can muster. I agree with Gloria, photo #27 is worthy of a frame!
Posted by: Nicole | July 20th, 2012 at 2:49 pm
This was a new use of the verb 'bolting' for me! I'm always learning something from each of your blog posts. Thanks
Posted by: Karen | July 25th, 2012 at 7:31 am
Hi Martha,
Very good place. This is like the village i lived in Indonesia. There is farm and mountain..
Posted by: Myjuicingweb | December 20th, 2012 at 2:50 am