Farm Journal ~ October
Out in the field there is just the barest hint of color on the leaves. All is green and quiet under the blue sky.
We have marked the rows with small flags where invasive plants have set in. Bittersweet has been a problem for us for the last couple of years. Seeds come in with the mulch so it can't be avoided but once they take root they can twist themselves around a blueberry plant from ground to tip. They steal nutrients from the soil and sunlight from the leaves and eventually they can choke a plant. We have a lot of work ahead this month and next. Nut Sedge and Horse Nettle are also problem weeds and to a lesser degree Purple Dead Nettle and Henbit, which we live with for the most part.
The good news is there are plenty of seeds and insects for foraging migrant birds and there are always flocks winging their way about the rows. A good friend and neighbor often appears among them, binoculars in hand, adding to his sightings list.
We have marked the rows with small flags where invasive plants have set in. Bittersweet has been a problem for us for the last couple of years. Seeds come in with the mulch so it can't be avoided but once they take root they can twist themselves around a blueberry plant from ground to tip. They steal nutrients from the soil and sunlight from the leaves and eventually they can choke a plant. We have a lot of work ahead this month and next. Nut Sedge and Horse Nettle are also problem weeds and to a lesser degree Purple Dead Nettle and Henbit, which we live with for the most part.
The good news is there are plenty of seeds and insects for foraging migrant birds and there are always flocks winging their way about the rows. A good friend and neighbor often appears among them, binoculars in hand, adding to his sightings list.
By mid October, shadows are deepening, colors are sparking, and rich leafy mulch shelters the roots.
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