On Being a Farm Wife (and other hazards) Joyce Bupp The phrase sounded a bit odd. “It’s too green,” The Farmer had just said. Too green? After the latest monsoon week in which more that five inches of rain—nearly an inch a day—had fallen? Too green? Imagine. That observation momentari ly sounded hilarious, especially hard on the heels of last year’s drought when we prayed almost non-stop for green, green green. But, in this case, the “too green” description was assessed over a couple of would-be soy bean fields, located on north sloped ground and blanketed end-to-end with the thickest, lushest growth of chickweed one could ever want to find. Drive across a field thick with such chickweed and it turns into r uncuumED freight co. ' iUQUBxmon saES’m 1 MOBILE SERVER | CLOSEOUT ißil Exposed Wine Rack 1 Pull-Out Shelf, On Casters fi| I Reg Ret $999 95 (WHOLESALE *249.95 « I SECTIONAL i SLEEPER I Dual Rechners, Console w/StorageT — 1 Sleeper, Dealer Refusal Twjf I Reg Retail $4200 00 C~^</ . 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So, in this case, those fields surely were “too green.” The Farmer merely plotted the field strategy flexibility, which crop producers have had to exercise in this thus-far soggy, swampy spring. Just minutes before, I’d squished through the asparagus bed, snapping off the latest growth of fat, thick, tasty spears we’ve been enjoying for the past BCD CLOSEOUT 40 Queena, 40 Double* Brasa w/Painled Porcelain Poet Heads, Headboard, Footboard Reg. Retail $309.95 Unbelievable Closeout Price . A 9? ?? #2j OAK HUTCH I CLOSEOUT 4 DRAWER FILE I /, CABINET CLOSEOUT i 1 Solid Oak w/Brass Fixtures . 2 Locks Reg Retail $599 95 | WHOLESALE $ 199.95 1 33 To Sell £2 I l._ - _ -I CHERRY CORNER CUPBOARD 1 CLOSEOUT I Glass Shelves, Lighted Interior, . Brass Fixtures ' Reg. Retail £3250.00 i OUR LOW PRICE 1 *949.93 #2 1 u__—————— •* 1 i RECLINER CLOSEOUT kf/7) . Available In Four Color* // / 1 Reg. 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With the abundance of won derful moisture, nudged by balmy temperatures and strengthening sunshine, even grass pulled up and left lay in piles two weeks ago have under gone resurrection and are attempting to shoot fat, white roots back into the ground. Every nook and cranny, every crack between sidewalk or patio blocks, every corner where soil meets pavement, wall or build- ing block is sprouting clumps of greenery. In fact, the tufts of grass pok ing out and around the walks around the house have proven handy for another lawn prob lem, not of “too green,” but of “ijo green.” Spot excavations for a water line replacement resulted in several bare sections of grass in the yard. So the volunteer turf growing in all sorts of unwanted places is being yanked up and plugged into a patchwork effect in those bare patches, to hopefully grow together and fill in the blanks. Our own little, self-contained, mini-turf farm for growing lawn sod. Sort of. Now, if we could generate Website Links School Gardeners NEWARK, Del. - Which ele mentary schools have butterfly gardens? Who has tried making bird nest boxes with second graders? Anybody have tips on starting a school wildflower meadow’ Educators interested in learning more about school based garden sites have a new, Web-based resource to turn to: the Delaware Cooperative Extension School Wildlife Habitat Directory. "We are striving to be a cen tral information point for educa USED/REBUILT MOTORS FOR Wifi r'TV' arl /l l V” •> ?>% t ' TTCRSH€V Service Tech ■■ EQUIPMENT CO, INC Onr-.il SYCAMORE IND. PARK Hours 630 SPM V?.. 255 PLANE TREE DRIVE „ c 24 Hrs LANCASTER, PA 17603 Closed Sat & Sun 7 Days a Week 717-393-5807 x 3050 "visa FAX 717-291-1534 u 'll Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 23, 1998-B3 some demand for chickweed, we could do the same thing on a larger (more- profitable?) scale, with the “too green" growth that needs to be eliminated ahead of the soybeans. Anyone out there interested in planting a chickweed lawn? It would grow lush and thick in the spring, then dry up and not need to be mowed, trimmed, aerated, thatched or fed over the summer when folks would rather do beach, vacation and picnic-like stuff. In fact, we’ll sell the chick weed sod very reasonably. And even label it authentically “organic.” Now there’s a niche market possibility. tors," says Jo Mercer, New Castle County Extension educa tor for ornamental horticulture "This is a place where teachers can discover others involved in gardening projects, make con- tact with them and learn from their experiences." The Web Site contains detailed information about gar dens at approximately 50 New Castle County schools. Sites include public, private, and parochial elementary, middle and high schools, as well jis preschool gardens.
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