Finally Gardens are just about planted and trying to survive in this fairly harsh climate we have in Russia. This weekend a family of six whirled into the village, grabbed the buckets and emptied the well. They were in survival mode to save their garden. They had tomatoes planted from the week before and this week they planted potatoes. The potatoes were planted like the tomatoes were. Half grown plants in the flats they live in. This is the first time I have seen potatoes planted that way, but hey you do what you have to do…
This family left in as big a whirl as they arrived and Sunday night was calm, peaceful and no water. They drained the whole place and the guy who deals with water at the well, evidently was too drunk to care to even refill the little wells or in reality cisterns. That is normal in the village. I was kinda upset, but I realized that I was not alone and a neighbor threw his bucket to the ground and said choice words to who ever would listen, as he found an empty well. Now as Sweet little Sveta says, “It is all good, we need the well to be drained to help keep the water fresher!”
While I agree, I also think it was rude, crude and socially unacceptable…
Okay, now back to what I was thinking…
Winter is harsh and long here. I know people in America who are already reaping what they sowed earlier and when I hear that cabbages are ready, apples all being eaten, I smile, for here the apple blossoms just blew away from the trees just a few days ago. We still have some time before we have apples fresh from the yard…
Winter is eight months long many times and therefore, you must grow everything to be planted in a different way here in Russia. Thence I watched potatoes plants being put in as a foot plus tall plant. You do what you have to do and these people come and go in a whirl as I see now and they have to take advantages which ever way they can. Now f someone lives here year around, they plant potatoes normally, but the potatoes are no farther along that what these people have done. I was reminded of this from an e-mail and I was told that they were already eating new potatoes in America…
That is a big difference…
Growing season sucks, but we do have an advantage, the day is very long and the sun shines for most of that long day. So therefore, we get lots of growing light and the plants respond to that. I find it interesting how plants of all types literally grow like weeds here in Russia. Makes sense though, they have to , to survive…
It is really strange as I have mentioned before, we have three seasons in the four months that we have decent weather. Spring, Summer and Fall all cower to the power of Old Man Winter in much of Russia. I realize that southern Russia has different growing seasons, but I also study and realize that much of Russia is the same and areas like Siberia are even much worse, they have permafrost year around, which makes life interesting to say the least…
Speaking of season, the wild roses just started to bloom today and they are beautiful. I am a softy for wild roses, actually any rose is my favorite and I want to try to grow Tea-variety roses here in the village. I am afraid that the cold would kill them more often than not.
So roses are blooming as the Lilacs fade. Now that is perfect, the smell of Lilacs wafting to the new smell of Wild Roses…
Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…