Windrow Garden Read online

  “A start is a start. And speaking of starts, aren’t you the one Sally said would be showing me the ropes around here?”

  “That I am. No one better qualified to do it, either. Well, that’s not entirely true,” Jake continued, scratching his thick white hair under his cap. “Bill Cornweir... you might get to meet him... he’d generally be the fellow to show you around. He was injured. That leaves me. And I got years of information about every damned rock, fence post, and critter that ever set foot on this place.”

  “Well, we might as well get started,” Nicole said, rising from the chair. “I have only one concern.”

  “What might that be?” Jake asked as he set the coffee cup on the table between the two chairs.

  “I want to know if the workday actually starts this early or were you my first-morning welcoming committee?” Nicole asked. She walked to the door and turned to wait for Jake to follow her.

  “Got me there, don’t you?” Jake said, grinning. The grin lined and seamed his weathered face. “Truth of the matter is, not only do old men not eat much, we don’t sleep much, either. I saw your light, like I said. I was up since about four this morning. I do intend to show you around, but I’ll probably have to go take my catnap round noon. Don’t worry, though. By the time you’re finished with lunch, I’ll be back to get you. I promise after this not to make you start all your days much sooner than eight.”

  “It’s all right, actually,” Nicole said gently. “I’m used to getting up early. The Army never lets you sleep too late.”

  “Didn’t figure it did. Then... then you wouldn’t mind me coming over once in a while and having more of this coffee with you some mornings?” Jake asked as he headed out into the light of the rising sun.

  “Not a bit. As long as you don’t make it every day and you never complain about my coffee.”

  “Not to worry on either account, sergeant. Sides, you make a dandy cup, what with a little flavor added to it.”

  “Good. Now, why don’t you show me how this place is laid out and tell me about the kind of things I can expect around here.”

  “Follow me, sergeant. I’m going to show you one of the sweetest-run little truck-and-flower farms you’ve ever imagined. You might even see why I could never leave this place.”

  Jake and Nicole walked to the large red barn. Inside Jake gave her the quick tour of the machinery parked there. A combine, hay baler; Cat tractor; and a camouflage-painted reconditioned postal Jeep crowded the lower floor. At the back of the barn and up on the second floor; bales of hay and straw were stacked to the rafters. Jake explained to Nicole that they were standing in the barn where Bill Cornweir had his accident. He assured her that the hay stacking problems had been rectified.

  “Most of the stuff here has been winterized. Hoses drained, antifreeze put in, and just waiting for spring. You’ll probably want to get around to doing that pretty soon. I figure the girl will want us to get into the fields, orchards, and timber pretty quick. If Bill were here, he’d see to it that everything was tuned and ready by the end of next week,” Jake advised.

  “I’ll make sure it is the first thing on my list,” Nicole promised.

  “Now I don’t know if it should be the first thing. But tell you what, let’s take a little drive and see if there are some other things you might want to do first.”

  Before she could ask Jake any questions about the equipment and find out if what rested before her was all there was, Jake jumped into the Jeep. As he settled behind the steering wheel, he hollered for Nicole to pull open the large barn doors.

  The engine roared to life under his coaxing touch, and he drove the Jeep through the doorway. Nicole shut the doors, responded to his waving, and climbed into her new transportation.

  “We probably could have walked this far; but I figured as long as we were in the barn I might as well get the Jeep,” Jake explained as he pulled up to two large pole barns. Nicole noticed that the barns were the same red with white that covered and trimmed the old barn. However, the sheds were different and of a more recent construction vintage. They were fairly flat on the top, and the sides were made of a sturdy-looking metal. Large double sliding doors closed over the openings. The buildings were huge, probably seventy-five by a hundred feet each. Looking at the buildings, Nicole realized that much more of the farm’s machinery had to be hiding inside.

  “More than likely you’ll be spending a lot of time here,” Jake said as he opened the driver’s door and fairly jumped out of the Jeep. His spry and agile movements surprised Nicole, and she reminded herself that she shouldn’t let looks deceive her. She followed him into the closest shed.

  “We got standard ton-and-a-half trucks, smaller John Deere tractors with lifts, eight-ton grain-type trucks, row listers, cultivators, plows, a couple of old elevator potato diggers, a handful of fruit planters and general purpose planters, mowers, brush hogs, and more general maintenance equipment than you can shake a stick at,” Jake recited as they walked through the first shed.

  “There is a lot more equipment than I had figured to find on the farm,” Nicole said in amazement.

  “Listen, some of this stuff is older than I am and was used by the girl’s grandfather. But it all works, it all runs, and we use every bit of it to keep this place green and growing. First rule of farming is, Throw nothing away. Every piece of equipment we maintain and save means a piece of equipment we don’t have to buy.”

  “I understand that. The philosophy is a bit different from that of the Army, but I’m sure I’ll be able to manage. What’s that door back there?” Nicole asked, pointing to the end of the shed.

  “That, sergeant, is the door that leads to the tool room. Your home away from home.”

  “Let’s take a look,” Nicole urged.

  Nicole walked to the end of the shed and opened the door. The room turned out to be the size of a small barn. Inside, neatly stacked, stored, and hanging on pegs or labeled in drawers and boxes were row after row of tools. It looked like every conceivable tool for woodworking, painting, leather crafting, metalworking, engine repair, welding, plumbing, and electrical might reside in the structure.

  “Good grief,” Nicole breathed. “This place looks like a hardware store and mechanic’s dream rolled into one.

  “Kinda impressive, isn’t it?”

  “It looks like this place has taken the idea of being self-sufficient to new heights,” Nicole said as she looked around the shed. She hadn’t counted on the magnitude of equipment or tools available. She’d been thinking about her father and mother’s farm. There was no comparison.

  “I’m beginning to see that there’s a lot more to this operation than I first suspected,” Nicole admitted to Jake.

  “Kinda surprised you, didn’t we? There’re two sections to the place. That’s a big chunk of land to manage. We’re the biggest truck farm in this part of the state. Got the best soil for it, too. A couple of months here and we’ll make a new woman of you.” Jake laughed at the expression on Nicole’s face.

  “I’m not sure I’d appreciate that. But I can tell you this... The next time I roll into a town and look for work, I’m going to ask a lot more questions. Seriously, though, I think this will be just fine. I was wondering how I was going to spend my time, and now I can see I should have been wondering if I was ever going to get any time off.”

  “You’ll have some of that. Don’t worry. We might work you a bit hard, and you might not feel like gallivanting around the country until you get used to this. But it’s a good life, and you might even come to enjoy it,” Jake suggested.

  “That remains to be seen. So, let’s go see the rest of the place. I’d like to take in the size and complexity of the operation, too. I want to understand what’s done here, why and where. It will give me a perspective. I like perspective.”

  “All right, let’s get going,” Jake said as he turned to leave the shed. He beamed at Nicole and looked like a man who took his work seriously but intended to enjoy it just the same.<
br />
  Over the next two hours Jake and Nicole drove through the six hundred twenty acres of the farm. Nicole watched as fields passed along the sides of the Jeep. The fields were rich —damp and waiting for spring with its revival of planting. At the far northeast corner of the farm Jake proudly showed Nicole the expanses of walnut and pecan trees crowded into a flowing, fifteen-acre cluster next to acres of blueberry, raspberry and gooseberry bushes and apple, peach, plum, cherry, and pear trees. The need for well-maintained equipment and tools became immediately apparent to her. It was an expansive and informative driving tour.

  On the drive back to the barns Nicole noticed wide sets of contoured hills with hints of buddings on the vines. She asked Jake about them. He explained that she was looking at the strawberry patches where high school students and local women would come in the late spring to begin picking the crop. The berries would be offered for sale in the greenhouses and for sale to the grocery stores in the region.

  Nicole felt awe at the massive farming enterprise. Acres of vegetables were yet to be planted, a bit of wheat, rye, sweet corn, sunflowers, and the year-round offerings of the greenhouse filled her with an understanding of the obvious pleasure he took in showing her "the girl’s farm.” She couldn’t imagine how Sally or anyone else on the farm ever had a chance to do anything other than work. She was lost in her own thoughts as he pulled the Jeep up to the barn.

  “You getting hungry?” Jake asked.

  “What did you say?” Nicole responded, shaking her head. She’d been trying to sort out her amazement and concern about how the workload she would be attempting to maintain until October.

  “Well, you just had one piece of dry toast some two or three hours ago. I was wondering if you were still in the mood for some breakfast. I expect that Sally’s up and that she might have something for you. That is, if you’re interested,” Jake explained.

  “I didn’t think the restaurant was open until Wednesday.”

  “Oh, it’s not open for business, but Sally and Carl Marmer’s wife, Martha, generally fix food for all the hired hands anyway. Didn’t Sally tell you? That’s part of the benefit of living here. We get to eat free and regular.”

  “I think I remember her mentioning something about that,” Nicole replied. She couldn’t imagine Sally in an apron. The image of her in the thin nightgown flashed before her eyes and impeded her view. She shook her head and thought she would wait before sitting down with the other hands for lunch. She had everything she needed in the cottage.

  “Well, come on, then. Let’s go see the boss lady,” Jake urged as he jumped out of the Jeep and headed for the restaurant.

  “No, Jake,” Nicole hesitated. “I’ve got a lot more unpacking to do. If I don’t get started now, I won’t get it done.”

  “Have it your own way. You don’t know what you’re missin',” Jake chastised as he headed toward the restaurant.

  “Probably not,” Nicole agreed.

  Sally stood at the back door of the restaurant, hidden by the shadow under the eave, and watched the exchange between Nicole and Jake. She was surprised when she saw Jake turn and walk alone toward the restaurant. Sally wondered at Nicole’s shrug of the shoulders, and she was puzzled when Nicole walked briskly back to her cottage. She watched the easy, strong motion of the woman’s body and the sureness of her step. Unbidden emotions played at the corners of her mind.

  Sally waited at the back door for Jake and opened it for him as he came up the steps. She smiled at him as he walked into the dining area.

  “If you’re hungry, Jake, I think you’ll like what we’ve got today,” Sally said as cheerfully as she could manage.

  “Wouldn’t imagine it being any other way,” he responded and watched Sally’s eyes wander past him and out toward the barn. “'Spect she’s the loner type. Might need some settin' in first. Don’t you worry none, though. I think I can manage to eat what extra vittles you got.”

  “I’m sure you would,” Sally said, humoring him. She closed the back door and reached round her waist to tighten her apron strings.

  “Bit tight-lipped.”

  Sally barely heard Jake’s voice through the feeling of consternation that tingled at the back of her mind at Nicole’s reluctance to join the farm crew for lunch. “Beg pardon?”

  “She’s a bit tight-lipped. It’ll take a piece of time to get a real feel for her. Seen her type before. Nothin' wrong with it, but they’re a little tough on the company they keep,” Jake said, half to himself and half to Sally.

  “As long as she can do the work, she can be as quiet and alone as she wants,” Sally asserted in annoyance.

  Jake looked at Sally and was surprised at the tone in her voice. “Patience, girl. I don’t think you mean that. Lady’s made a big change in her life. I imagine she’s still sorting it out. 'Sides, woman like that can pretty much take care of herself. No need for you concerning yourself as to whether or not your new hired hand will like your cooking!”

  “You sound like Dad,” Sally said, smiling at Jake as she followed him into the dining room.

  “Wasn’t meant to,” Jake said, flushing in delight. “But now you mention it, he was a pretty smart man, too.” Jake chuckled and hurried into the dining room. Jake filled up his plate for the second time and returned to his table. “Had to have another piece of pie. That Sally sure does good by pie.”

  “Sure does,” Doug Harkner agreed, scooping a mouthful of cherries and crust into his waiting mouth.

  = Chapter 7 =

  Cultivation & Care

  Whether you have a large garden or small, one of the earliest gardening treats you may enjoy is the sweet, plump lusciousness of strawberries. The beauty of strawberries is that they may be grown indoors or out. The dark green foliage, contrasted with its early tiny white flowers and later bright red fruits, ensures a colorful addition to home, patio, or garden. Although strawberries are easy to grow, your success will depend on careful attention to cultivation needs and requirements.

  Strawberries are a matter of less being more; that is, a well cared for small planting will produce more fruit than a large planting that receives less attention. If you follow good growing practices, each foot of row or container can produce nearly a quart of berries—a real taste treat and a real satisfaction.

  Select a sunny, well-drained location. Wet soils reduce plant growth and increase the possibility of mold with a higher incidence of disease. Strawberries grow best in loamy or sandy soil that has been worked to a fine, mellow condition just before the plants are set out. Prepare the soil with rich natural fertilizer and other nutrients for the best results.

  Mid-March to early April is the best time to plant strawberries in Kansas. However, permanently mulched beds with plants protected or indoor gardens may be established earlier to provide fresh results as early as late May. The preferred varieties, and the hardiest ones for Kansas, are Atlas, Earligrow, and Surecrop.

  Be sure to use young plants with vigorous roots. Remove any damaged or diseased leaves before setting out. Dig a hole for each mother plant that is large enough to hold the roots without crowding. Mound the soil in the center of the hole and set the plant on the mound with the roots pressed firmly into the soil and around the base of the mound. Fill the hole halfway with soil, water to wash the soil around the roots and then fill the rest of the hole with dirt. Firm the soil around the plant. Position the plant so that soil covers all of the roots but does not cover the small leaves that are developing in the crown of the plant.

  Protect young plants with a cover to reduce exposure to too much sun or drying winds. Shade the young plants to keep soil moist for several days after planting to establish the roots.

  The original mother plant will send out shoots of daughter runners. Though the runners appear to sit on top of the mulch in permanent mulched beds, they will send roots down through the soil and establish themselves in time. Mulch will decompose during the summer and sink, allowing the newly rooted plants to be only slightly above the
soil level. This is as it should be; in time, the roots will sink deep and establish themselves for your future harvest.

  Harvest of the established beds may begin as early as late May and continue through August, although typically the hot days of late summer may reduce the quality and quantity of fruit. At final harvest, you may want to thin the rows to assist the start of new runners. You may also want to provide the bed with supporting materials. The best supporting materials would be well-rotted manure, compost, and enriched leaf mold worked into the top layer of the soil. If you do this, remember to smooth the soil out again and place a six-inch mulch around the plants that have or will have a new batch of daughter runners. These runners will be next year’s supply of bearing plants.

  By careful selection of the best bearers, a strawberry patch may be made to produce a larger crop with each succeeding year. The heavy mulching of summer will preserve soil moisture for the young plants during long dry days, while the decomposing layer on top of the bed enriches the gradually blacker, mellowing soil below.