Wednesday

It is a beautiful day; sunny but low humidity and when my plans for the day were cancelled I decided to continue the weed attack. After today's effort,  I estimate that about 1/3 of the Farm is denuded of weeds and covered with thick black plastic. I used landscape "staples" to anchor the plastic tarp, so much easier then finding bits of rocks and bricks. I just piled up the pulled weeds on top of the plastic- not an attractive look but it will be easier to dispose of the weeds when they wilt.
Met the owner/renter of the next plot over. She was difficult to understand because at first I thought she was speaking Korean but then I understood some words. Her plot looks GREAT- she said it was her first year with that plot  but she has SIX  plots at Nottoway. She told me that I was wasting my time and I should wait until the spring to clean up. I laughed and said I was so happy to have the plot that I didn't want to wait. Then she asked me what I could plant this late in the year and shrugged when I told her I wanted to clean up the plot, build raised beds and put up a fence so I would be ready for next year. She nodded so I guess my explanation met her approval.
A little later, a man about my age (or a little older) introduced himself as "Mark". He showed me his plot- also his first year- it is around the corner away from the Hunter House. He also showed me the "trick" with the spigot. (You have to wedge a piece of wood or something into the lever device to keep the water running) He said he couldn't figure it out  and had to ask someone...definitely not obvious and I was happy that he volunteered the information. He also filled me in on the adjacent plot that looks abandoned. The owner/renter is pregnant and not up to working in the hot weather. She has some tomatoes but nothing else. While there are weeds, her weeds are nothing compared to those on our plot. So far, we are Queen of the Weeds- no one else even comes close to our weeds.
Mark was a fount of information about what rules are not enforced (dumping garden debris into the nearby woods) and what a pain it is to get water for the gardens. He has a rain barrel and fills it with water when he uses the hose. Next time he waters, Mark uses the water from the rain barrel. He said most people do that b/c the water is such a hassle.I asked about mosquitoes with open water and he said most people put screens on top of the sitting water. Mark also told me that the Korean lady with the six gardens has at least twenty pepper plants and he was ticked that he had to wait 4 years for a garden and she has six gardens. Mark said she brings groups of people to work her plots and probably uses other peoples' names to get around the restriction of one plot per person. Hmmm, always a scandal even in paradise. Had a great day and enjoyed myself with the work.