THE OPTIMISTIC FARMER-JULY 2025

theoptimisticfarme
Jul 1
4 min read

Tall and (Small) Tales from the Great Basin of Northeast Nevada

Like fireworks fill the skies on the 4th, this month gardens are exploding with color and splendor. If you are not oohing and aweing at the beauty of the colors in your garden this month, you need to find someone who has a flower garden and go see if you can visit them, every day until October! Yes, they may get irritated, but blooms are to be seen and admired, so do yourself a favor and take a walk around your neighborhood or town and as the old saying goes, take some time to smell the flowers. The picture on the right does not do these Snapdragons justice, the orange red color is breathtaking, but you get the idea!

News from the Garden

If you have patches of herbs here and there in your garden you are probably able to do some harvesting, if you haven't already. Herbs like parsley, oregano, thyme, and chives love to be harvested periodically throughout the season and after a good cutting will often come storming back better and bushier! Below are cuttings from oregano and parsley, the chives are ready to be cut! Advice is to harvest before they flower; in order to maintain leaf production, however it is always good to let a few areas go to seed, because you can never have too many seeds!

Innovations and Ideas

As the garden grows and plants get bigger, we are often faced with the dilemma of managing our plants. Trellises and plant cages are innovations that may help manage sprawling tomatoes, peas, or grapes, did you know that you can make them with items from nature!! Yes, believe it, you can make a nice tomato cage or nifty trellis with twigs! TWIGS, you say? Yes, twigs from your trees or from pruning your shrubs! So, if you are looking for ways to reduce the use of metals or plastics in your garden, you can try using what nature provides, trying new ideas and designs is always fun and satisfying!

Inner Work

Unwinding is the topic of this month's inner work; the unwinding being talked about here is the relaxation that comes when you stop worrying or thinking about problems! If you think about it, are there really any problems or are they just opportunities for improvement? It is important to unwind because staying wound up in your perceived problems, will only perpetuate the perceived problems and believe it or not will likely make them worse.

Dear Optimistic Farmer:

To submit questions to The Optimistic Farmer, click here: theoptimisticfarmer@outlook.com

Inquisitive Reader: My tulips and daffodils were beautiful this year, but how often and when are you supposed to divide the bulbs?

The Optimistic Farmer: It will come as no surprise that the best time to divide your bulbs is when they get too crowded or clustered, not rocket science, when you notice that maybe your flowers from bulbs are not blooming as vigorously as before, it is likely time to divide them. The best time to dig them up is in the fall after the foliage has died off. Once the leaves have died off, carefully dig up the bulbs and gently take off any child bulbs that may appear. Those can be replanted and if the main bulb is not squishy put it back in the ground for next year's blooms.

Plants in Science:

Since you may have an abundance of herbs in your midst this month, you may wonder what on earth you can use them for, there is only so much spaghetti you can eat! Today we deep dive into oregano and whether it has benefits beyond a delicious addition to your favorite pasta dish or stew! Science has found that oregano oil has two important compounds to assist us on our health journeys, specifically carvacrol and thymol! Carva-what and thyma-who?

Carvacrol, or scientifically speaking, 5-Isopropyl-2-methyphenol, C6H3(CH3) (OH)C3H7, is a compound found in many plants in the Labiatae family, but oregano is the best know source. There is a growing scientific body of research on the benefits of carvacrol, but a few of the conditions it can help treat include the following: common cold, fever, high cholesterol, nail fungus, and arthritis

Thymol, 2-isopropyl-5methlphenol, C10H14O, also prominent in thyme, is found in mouthwashes, insect repellants, fungicides, and acne treatments. You may want to ante up when discussing thymol, as it is an antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral!

PRO TIP: Make sure you research fully, read studies, and talk to others about their experiences with various natural remedies.

The Science Behind Oregano Oil: What Studies Really Say About Its Health Benefits | Defining your well-being @ glossary.health

Last, but Not Least: Fall Planning

It always seems like after the 4th of July, autumn sneaks up on us in a wave, usually a heat wave to boot! So, it may seem early to start thinking about fall and the things that could be done or will need to be done, fact is, it is not too early especially if you want to enjoy a fall garden. Kale, carrots, spinach, lettuce, radishes, fast maturing cabbage are all candidates for a fall garden. If you do not want to do a fall garden, and you choose to enjoy all the blessings of summer instead, you can still start thinking about fall harvesting, cleanup, storage and such! For today though, enjoy the flowers because this is a great month for it!