So much news makes me despair. I think this project is one of the most hopeful I’ve seen in years.

From their website:

The Farmer-Veteran Coalition seeks to help our returning veterans find employment, training, and places to heal on America’s farms. At the same time the Coalition hopes that some of these young men and women may help address our country’s critical need for more good, hard-working people entering the field of agriculture. The coalition is acutely aware of the high number of soldiers entering the military from our rural communities and the need to improve both job opportunities and veteran services in these areas. We believe that our family farms, the sustainable farming movement and growing support for local and regional agriculture could all be well served by people already accustomed to hard work, discipline and dedication. If given the opportunity, our returning veterans can benefit from and help to stimulate the growing green economy, even in these hard times.

Donate here.

The garden is coming along, but I underestimated the work involved in rebuilding all the containers and the volume of dirt needed to fill them. I used almost a full bale of peat moss in the big blue bin, but I didn’t think I could do the beets and beans in a shallower container. I think I may put one hill of squash and/or cucumbers in that one to take the place of the kale once that is done.

Seedling notes for next year:

• The cold frame definitely worked to germinate, but they really slowed down after that. I think I should have maybe transplanted when the first set of true leaves came in, or else made the germination mix an inch deeper.
• More than half the beans rotted in the soil even in the cold frame. Maybe plant later? (I planted a second batch to see if they fared better, but then it rained for 9 days, so that might’ve been a bust too.)
• I think the plexi might work better, since the glass door was tough to vent because it was so heavy and bent all the hardware and had to take it off earlier than I thought I should. (Perhaps reason #2 they grew slowly)
• Even with the coldframe, early eggplant seeds didn’t sprout until it was very hot a couple weeks ago.
• Borage seedlings are terrifically susceptible to overcooking as well as rotting leaves from top watering. Maybe direct seed or plant in cups in the cold frame and remove as soon as they’re sprouted. The direct seeded ones are almost as big as the transplanted seedlings.
• Red Kale looks like it’ll be a weed based on every single seed sprouting. Yay!
• Thyme grows really f-ing slowly.

I think it’s almost time to start a new compost pile. Will move the old pile to the side fence under the utility pole, perhaps where last years carbon pile was.

I wish I had access to some sort of small chipping machine. Last years grape prunings are about 3 feet tall but haven’t decomposed at all. It would make beautiful mulch, because I don’t think the cats would like walking on it. Also, chipping would be a great solution for the big giant Trees of Heaven. The trunks are just too big to decompose on their own without some help. Anybody out there have a chipping implement?