The Corn Patch

We did it, we actually have a good looking corn crop. The lack of rain, hasn't been in our favor but Carl made up for it with a lot of watering. We have quite a few hoses on the Ranch now - about 1000 feet actually. We, I guess I should say Carl, planted the corn on May 26th. The engineer has to make sure every row is measured and straight but since he used this small corn planter from my parents that kind of bounced around over the dirt clods, the rows aren't perfectly straight - at least to Carl's liking.

We, yes I helped too, hauled off a lot of weeds to get this area ready for the corn but they just keep coming back. I can't even remember how many hours we have spent out there weeding but it's a lot. And there are still a bunch of weeds out there, the weeds are winning this battle for sure. I also planted a 100ft row of zinnias along one side of the corn. They just bloomed in the last week or so. 

This photo shows the corn on July 14th (top photo) and then on July 31st (bottom photo).

 

Carl has put nitrogen on it two times and it really takes off right after that. The rain in the last few weeks has really helped it out too. Although, Carl has become good friends with the sprinkler this summer. The telescoping sprinkler saved our corn.



We planted a few different brands of corn, on the left of the picture below is Pioneer sweet corn, then we planted some Becks corn and not one stalk came up, then on the right side we planted some sweet corn from the hardware store, I can't remember the name.

All of the corn stalks have ears on them but we think it will be a few more weeks until we have corn ready to pick. That's when the fun begins, I guess??? We are hoping to be able to sell some at the farmers market and give some to our families and also can and freeze a bunch for us. Carl keeps telling me there is going to be truckloads of corn to pick and I need to get ready. I'll get back to you in a few weeks to let you know how it goes...hahaha.

Catching Up

Wow, a lot has happened on the Rivir Ranch since I last blogged. Let's catch up. After we got back from our trip to California my sister was beginning the state softball tournament. For about six weeks we were consumed with softball games. It was a very exciting season and the girls went on to win the state championship. At the same time my youngest brother played in his first season of baseball so we were able to enjoy some baseball games too.

After softball season ended, we were invited to six weddings and bridal showers and a whole bunch of birthday parties and other celebrations. Those kept us busy for quite awhile to say the least. One of the most fun events was that I had the chance to co-host, along with my mom and sister, a bridal shower for my cousin Danielle. Thanks to Pinterest, I had a lot of inspiration for this shower and made several little things for the bridal shower.

In addition, to all of the family get-togethers, we have season tickets and are part of the Directors Club at our local theater. There are six shows in the summer, one every two weeks, and it is so much fun. We have really enjoyed getting more involved with the theater and learning more about how it all works. It's by far one my most favorite parts of summer.  And then on July 1st, we celebrated one year in our new home. The past year has flown by and it's really neat to look back at the pictures and to think just a year ago we were living in the tiny little lake cottage preparing for big move to the country. We have both loved every minute in our new house, it's just perfect for us!

Well, that sums up most of our summer so far, I'll do a few other posts about all the different plants we have growing on the Rivir Ranch this year. The flowers, garden vegetables and big corn patch are all doing well this year despite the drought.