dark furrow
a quiet almanac of soil and sky
night, the twenty-first of july
late spring
the frost is gone or nearly gone.
everything is rushing now. the green is loud.
warm rain after dawnthe lettuce grows so quicklyi cannot keep up
sky
mild, finally. windows open. the frogs are singing.
- first quarter, 56% lit
- sunrise 6:14 am · sunset 8:27 pm
- 14h 13m of daylight (-1.3 minutes from yesterday)
- civil dusk 8:56 pm · sailor's dark 9:32 pm · true dark 10:10 pm
the moon is in its first quarter. plant things that fruit: tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash. the increasing light favors strong stems and heavy fruit.
bootes the herdsman stands tall, shaped like a kite, arcturus at his base
a hailstorm in spring can ruin a garden in five minutes. the old timers called it "the hammer." there is no remedy but replanting.
garden
in the ground now
- squash and cucumbers, give them room to sprawl
- corn in blocks, not rows, so the wind can do its work
- peppers beside them, they like the same heat
- basil near the tomatoes, old companions
this week
- side-dress heavy feeders with compost. tomatoes and squash are hungry.
- thin seedlings. it feels cruel but crowded plants produce nothing.
good neighbors
- chives or garlic in thin rows between the carrots and the lettuces, a quiet ward against aphids
- carrots between the tomato stakes, they loosen the deep soil and ask for little light
- nasturtium at the foot of the cucumbers, the aphids prefer it and leave the rest alone
bad neighbors
- cucumbers in the smell of sage, the cucumber will not thrive where the herb is strong
- tomatoes and brassicas both eat heavy, planted close they starve each other
- beans and onions, never together, the alliums turn the bean leaves pale and yellow
kitchen
in season
- fresh peas eaten standing in the garden, never enough make it inside
- the first herbs cut and scattered over everything
- radishes sliced thin with butter on good bread
- asparagus while it lasts, roasted simply with oil and salt
tonight
- strawberries, finally, warm from the sun
putting up
- asparagus pickles well in a salt-vinegar brine. blanch and freeze whatever doesn't get pickled.
- rhubarb keeps every way you ask of it. jam, chutney, sliced and frozen for winter pie.
foraging
- plantain leaf, the broad one in every yard. a poultice for stings and cuts.
- elderflowers, the creamy flat clusters. dry them for tea or steep in vinegar.
- wild strawberries, tiny and impossibly sweet, in sunny edges and old fields.
- black raspberry canes are flowering now. mark where they are for june.
the woods and edges are full. walk slowly and look at what grows where nobody tends it. that is what belongs here.
folklore
the flower moon, for obvious reasons. the planting moon. the milk moon. the old english called may thrimilce, the month the cows could be milked three times a day. everything is producing.
chamomile tea from the first flowers. calming, good before sleep, gentle enough for children. late spring remedies lean toward calming and cooling. everything is growing and so is the urge to overdo it. slow down.
bees everywhere now, doing the real work. do not spray anything while they are out.