The Heat is ON!

This will be a shorter blog, but it's not bad news. 

Our weather has been brutally hot and stormy recently. The heat made me concerned that the flax stalks would keel over or mature too rapidly. They prefer the cooler temperatures of more temperate climates. But they also like wet conditions, and they've had that in spades this summer, which might be their saving grace.

Gale Woods Farm plot

You can see that the capsules now outnumber the flowers.

The stalks at Gale Woods Farm are doing very well! I visited them this morning and could still see flowers. Here I thought the stalks were going to be toast, or at least be completely spent of blooms. Nope! But there are more capsules now than flowers. (Capsules are the compartments left behind after the flowers drop off, and are where the seeds are maturing.)

There was an interloper along the plot! Some sort of squash plant! It was trying to hang onto the flax stalks, but I pulled it back as best I could. 

I expect the harvest date will be sometime towards the end of July if all progresses as usual. The stalks need to be about 2/3 yellow from their base, and the capsules should be leaning toward brown if not fully brown. Typically, the stalks are ready for harvest 30 days after the full plot bloom and 90 to 100 days after their emergence. We are at roughly day 70 right now. The temperatures are forecast to be in the 80s and 90s (26-32+ Celsius) for the next week or so. I'll periodically check the stalks and cross my fingers that they can withstand such heat! 

Bees and other pollinators were still busy finding pollen in the remaining blooms!

Bees continue to visit the flowers. Turn up the audio to hear the buzz on this video!

I wonder if the fiber that is gleaned from these tough plants will be coarser than preferred. When it comes to nature, it's best not to have expectations, but speculation is always in play.

Riverbend Farm (my personal) plot

Last Friday, I visited my personal plot. As has been the case all along, since being sown a few days after the Gale Woods Farm crop, the maturity rate is a few days later than that of Gale Woods Farm. 

Many stalks at the Riverbend plot are over 36 inches tall!

I ended up getting out to the farm late in the morning, so the blooms were actively dropping off the stalks.

Aren't the petals so pretty!

It was a gorgeous midsummer day for communing with the flax stalks!

Time Your Visit to See Blooms!

This is a reminder to anyone who wants to visit the Gale Woods Farm stalks to see flowers… Go in the morning! Mid-morning is best if you want to catch the flowers in bloom! If you visit in the afternoon, you won't get much of a flower show! And visit soon! They are coming to the end of their bloom cycle!