One comment

• Visit site

  August 1, 2010 5:57 amPosted 1 year ago

  MIke McLellan

  Tim and Jen,
  I really enjoyed receiving your news letter. Thanks for the add. My garden here in the high, dry plains is going very well. At least if we could eat the leaves of the spuds, corn, and sweet potatoes! We’ll see how much the plants produce that’s edible but so far so good. I’ve never had sweet potatoes grow so vigorously so I’m especially hopeful for them. My grandson Isaiah and I planted several rows of popcorn and that, to this point, is a huge success. They should start to tassle in a couple of weeks and then we’ll see. I tried Rouge Vif d’Etampe pumpkins and they are producing well. Lots of pumkins up to about three pounds and growing. They got hammered by hail on July 4 (heck of a way to celebrate our independence) but they just bounced back and really exploded growthwise. Now those damaged leaves are fading and dying back but the flush of new growth has more than made up for the damage. My poor brother out in Los Angeles doesn’t have a clue on how harsh the climate in the Rockies and plains can be.
  I got up to Helena once this summer to study our recently purchased “farm”. I’m excited to apply a lot of the permaculture ideas to an already existing “forest” of dozens of trees. I just need to add many more edible species and varieties of berries. I hope your plantings have taken well and your faith and effort will be richly rewarded in the future.

  Sorry to read about your sheep. Must’ve been tough to decide. I’m still studying the idea of Shetlands myself. There’s a farm in the Helena valley that is registered with ASSA so I will likely get to know that farmer before taking the plunge.

  I’m still hoping to “pull the plug” on teaching after this school year and get moved up north and get to farming/gardening or whatever you call it. I don’t see being mechanized as the area I would actually cultivate wouldn’t exceed an acre. It’s the forest aspect that I think will be most interesting.
  Hope your weather is cooperating. We’ve consistently been above 33ºC daily, but our high elevation means it cools off well at night. It does confirm that I will not move to the south after leaving teaching. The desert just doesn’t do it for me. That has been a popular thing to do for many Americans from the colder northern states to move to the southwest after retiring, but that hideous heat for five+ months a year is not my cup of tea, nor Judy’s.

  My brother, Jeff, was so jazzed after Growing Power and the session on mushroom cultivation, he’s already started a number of logs with a couple types. By the way, way to go on the aquaculture start. Keep us all posted on the progress of that. I admire you courage to just jump in!

  Hope you are both well.
  Mike McLellan
  Casper, Wyoming