Second cutting of hay is stacked and some is sold. Terry is delivering 60 bales to Delta Elevator as I write this. One more cutting and we are done for the year. Golly, summer is flying by.
The pinto beans have grown shut! See that corn stalk! Grrr! Corn is NOT good in pinto beans. Corn kernels and pinto beans are the same size so they go through the combine together and make a TARE on the pinto beans. Meaning the beanery has to sort the corn out, which they dock the farmer for the time and labor to do so. I am going to have to figure out how to get out there and get that stalk before harvest!!!! And NOT smash or harm the pinto bean plants in any way. 😦
The pinto bean plants are now setting pods and the ‘new crop’ of seeds starting grow in the pod. You can see the seeds developing.
The field corn is starting to grow kernels. The brownish/red silks are showing that the little hairs have been pollinated and the cob is starting to grow the seed. (We eat the seed in some form…ground up for corn meal, boiled on the table, or for animal feed). The white silk shows that the ear has not been pollinated yet. As the wind, or birds, or animals move through the corn the pollen from the tassels will float down and pollinate the silks. Then we wait for the kernels to grow and swell and develop.
We have one row of sweet corn along side the field corn. Sweet corn is shorter than field corn. I picked 2 ripe ears of sweet corn yesterday and we had them for lunch. Yummm!
The raccoons and the deer and the skunks like the sweet corn also. 😦 I try to watch my crop closely to grab what I can before they get it. Most the time they beat me.
We heard that there were bears in one of the commercial sweet corn fields two nights ago. Bears think sweet corn is yummy. I hope they don’t come down here..I only have the one row …..
Our rain has moved on, although, they are saying there is the possibly of thunderstorms this afternoon. Still the day is fresh and lovely.
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
Life on a Colorado Farm 
Your crops look wonderful. I wonder if they could make a new breed of dog to get that corn??? One that would sneak out among the beans and root it out without hurting them. They could call it a corn dog. No, that wouldn’t work, would it? sorry….
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Huh….an errant corn plant in a field of beans. There’s one in every crowd, isn’t there? How far in from the edge of the field is it?
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What bounty…and what BEAUTIFUL hollyhocks…mine have beautiful flowers, but the leaves have been horribly eaten by some monster around here. I’ve noticed that all the hollyhocks in our little village have the same problem. Can’t sort it out. The corn silks are a beautiful color. What does that field sound like when the wind blows?
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oh, the bears raiding sweet corn would do some serious damage! you need a hover craft to get that corn out of the bean crop! 🙂
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So how did corn seed get mixed in with soybean seed to make the loan corn planting? Wasn’t there a way to notice? Don’t laugh at me if that is a dumb question
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…the lone corn plant…
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Linda – both the farmer and I would like to know a little about pinto beans – they are unheard of here. Are they used for cattle feed? Also the two sorts of corn – sweet corn is what we eat – what is the other corn used for please?
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Hi Linda, I keep learning more and more about farming.. Still don’t know much—but am learning thanks to YOU…. I never knew ’til George and I were first married and he took me to Indiana. We saw fields of corn –and that’s when I learned that there is a difference in Sweet Corn and Field Corn.. I never knew until then!!!! Today I learned that Sweet Corn is not as tall. Thanks!!!
Hope you can rescue your sweet corn BEFORE the critters get it first… We saw deer in our front yard today (Mama and 2 fawns).. We scared them off BEFORE they ate anything… BUT–they’ll be back I’m sure.
Hugs,
Betsy
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Amazing the evolution of crops and plants from seed to harvest, how everything thing has to be just right.
Always know when the neighbors corn is ready, it’s stalks are strung across the road! Lol!
Cheri
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Eddie is finishing our first cutting today if the sun came out. It’s been cloudy, overcast and unusually cold. 46* this morning. I put the quilt back on the bed last night.
We’re watching carefully for the deer to take advantage of our green beans. The corn and tomatoes will be ready in a couple weeks we hope. I’m overloaded with cucumbers and yellow squash and we’ve canned almost 100 quarts of green beans so far and 15 pints of sweet pickles. I may can some more of them this weekend or make some pickle relish.
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Great looking crops! The hay piles are HUGE! The crazy rogue corn stalk reminds me of Cupcake when she squeezes herself in someplace where she doesn’t belong. Then she stands there and waits for me to help her get out.
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Oh Linda & Terry…. Your crops are looking absolutely wonderful! My how those beans have grown (just sneek out there and pull that corn) Just watch those sweet ears closely – with those bad news bears are in town, USA never know 🙂
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I was thinking that was a good job for Boomer, plucking unwanted corn!
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What happens when it rains? Do you cover the hay or is it okay to get wet?
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Great post and it generated lots of great questions about agriculture! You have your teaching cap on now!
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so much growth. I can almost hear the plants growing and the pods forming! And the hay – what a lot of work it must have been.
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