The summer is heating up and the gardens are booming.  This year's green manure crop has been a huge success.  I got it planted right before the spring rains and had great germination on the field peas, oats, and buckwheat.  The weed suppression was amazing. Now the oat and buckwheat seeds are attracting a great variety of birds.

This past week I have been harvesting the blossoms of dyers coreopsis  every morning, and drying them. I have not grown this wonderful dye plant for over a decade. Yesterday I decided to do a small sample. The dark yarn was in the dye pot for over half an hour  and the gold one was in for just a few minutes. I can't wait for the dye retreat in August. I am planning to start the avocado skins soaking this next week so they will give us some wonderful reds.  

I am off to put a fleece in to soak and make a batch of chamomile soap  for the store while the fleece soaks.