I have begun to make peace with the Bermuda grass. I think it is one reason we can get away with only watering twice a week. It holds the moisture, the roots go deep and somehow the garden is healthy. Digging the grass out around the edges of plots isn’t any more work than putting down cardboard and chips. The squash bugs still haven’t bothered the lemon cukes, we never had a single tomato worm, and not one apple had cottle worm damage. Still had worms In the corn though. I’m reading Gary Paul Nabhan, Growing Food in a Hotter, Dryer Land. jjh

what we’re up against

Kathy weeding Bermuda grass out of the potato plot

Bethel with Bermuda grass she spent all morning extracting

Deb and Nancy weeding out Bermuda grass and preparing the garlic plot

Early October:  garlic plot mulched and ready to plant

saving-seeds-beth-crowder0001

Thank you, Beth, for taking time to show us how you save tomato seeds: Ferment them for three days with a little water, skim off the scum on top, and then spread in clumps on a sheet of newspaper. Even though you’re not sure fermenting is necessary, it’s good to know.

http://blog.seedsavers.org/blog/stories-from-the-vault

Seeds are viable for ten years, longer if frozen. These stories show why it’s good to save seeds.