Trials and tribulations of food forest farming

Much of the plants are bolting for the sun pulling them forward to bloom. The radish, cilantro and arugula like the cool weather, so with the hot sun beaming on them, they know it's time to seed for sowing in the fall.

Radish blooming

Arugula blooming

Cilantro blooming

The cool weather crops aren't the only blooming plants beaming in the sun. The blackberry and dewberry plants are blooming, and the wild roses too.

Blackberry

Wild roses in a tin can

I am fighting the birds to no end. Usually I fight the birds with the blueberries too...I cover the blueberries to prevent birds from eating them, but I have another issue: chemical sprays. The county sprayed the roads with weed killer and it wreaked havoc on EVERYTHING. My flowers, my fruit trees and fruit bushes are suffering from the chemical sprays. They have burnt leaves and spots. They are not flowering so they are not fruiting. There's nothing I can do for them, besides in the future to make signs that read: "no spraying, wildlife refuge".

Still, I cover the blueberries--in case there are some blueberries that fruit that the birds want.

Like I have previously mentioned, the birds or other critters are digging up and eating all of the seeds I have sowed for weeks. I have planted zucchini, yellow squash, peppers, tomatoes, pumpkin, cantaloupe, and peas in my garden and pots. But do you think the birds or critters care that I need to eat too? No. They have ate hundreds of seeds. A few seeds were left behind and germinated, so there are some plants growing luckily. We shall see what happens. At this point, I need to germinate seeds and then plant so this discourages critters from eating anything. 

pots full (and not full) of a variety of seeds

Zucchini or yellow squash..it's a mystery now that I have continously resown because of the critters 

Trying to keep them covered as pest prevention...
The white triangle has shittake
mushroom spawn which critters ALSO dug up,
but some may grow in the cedar mulch 

Some of the Blueberry bushes covered

Figs sprouting

Fig trees

The rain continues to down pour, so the weeds grow but my tilling and sowing becomes delayed. It is not a good situation right now. It is almost June, and still I do not have beans planted! The lettuce and radishes have done spectacular this year, and maybe that's all that will produce.

Every year, there is one or two veggies or fruits that out perform and harvest plenty; and then some that don't at all. Every year is different. One year, tomatoes and peppers will be harvested in mass, and then the next year, it may be the beans that have a tremendous bounty. Then the following years, the tomatoes, peppers and beans may not produce at all, whereas the pears or peaches or figs explode in abundance.

We'll find out this year what those great harvests will be...I think we already have.