Not Giving Up

As we have never met, let me introduce myself.

My name is Michelle. I am fifty years old and have spent most of my adult life in an urban setting. Three years ago, My husband Ralph and I bought an old farm on the Saint John River complete with dilapitated turn-of-the-century house, barn and several out buildings situated on about sixty acres of pasture land and 110 acres of woodland.

Our goal is to retire here.

'Yikes' the world says, 'don't most people down-size when they approach retirement'?

That's not the way we roll... Ralph and I believe that the farm will add years to our lives. We will be able to grow our own fruit and vegetables, raise our own meat and be constantly in the out of doors. 

To date, with help from my dad, we have renovated the house, recaptured the pastures, installed three perenniel flower beds, repurposed the hen house into a potting shed, reconfigured the driveway, changed the grade of the front lawn and planted a vegetable garden.

Dad and Ralph are currently building a stone patio off of the back shed.

I am tending my pitiful vegetable garden.

We chose the front pasture as our vegetable garden site. Fifty years ago, this pasture produced a bounty of veggies. This past spring, we removed the sod, tilled the soil, picked out the largest rocks, added granular fertilizer, installed a beautiful cedar fence complete with 'deer fencing' and planted my crops!

I planted tomatoes, eggplant, purple carrots, basil, flat leaf parsley, cukes, zucchini, buttercup squash, corn, peas, beans, bell peppers, cayenne peppers, brussel sprouts, cabbage, red onions, beets, lettuce and sunflowers.

To date, all of my buttercup squash turned out to be zucchini! The crows ate all of my red onions. Some kind of white moth keeps laying eggs on my cabbage. The brussel sprouts have not grown in a month. Everything else is limping along...

Whenever anything looks hopeful, I actually squeal!

A neighboring farmer told me - after the fact - that I should have planted nothing but potatoes. Apparently they are good for old unused soil. Everyone that I ask for 'tips' on how to improve my plot is very forthcoming. In the fall we will till and then top dress with a big load of composted cow manure.

I am not giving up!

Thanks for reading.