Yep got to make the most of our short growing season! That is straw that I use as mulch. A farmer who lives down the road drops off those big round bales at my place which is usually good for a couple of seasons. I haven't had problems with bugs with that mulch for they all get killed off in the winter although my daughter-in-law mulched her garden and got a real bad slug problem - she is a little further South though. The foil is to reflect the light for living in the forest that is one of my biggest challenges is getting enough light. The fabric is by the broccoli is row cover which protects against the bugs (especially effective against the cabbage butterfly) It also gives some frost protection so I can plant my brassicca seedlings out earlier. The cabbage had the row cover over it too, I had just pulled it back to show the cabbages. I use the row cover on all my brassiccas.
Thanks for letting me know Kenny is no longer around, I didn't know that. I haven't been spending too much time on HIVE with being the caregiver for my husband, keeping up with my gardening and I'm also developing a new program for families - getting kids off their devices and into the natural world, opening the world of gardening to them. I do miss the Natural Medicine community and wonder about different folks from there often. I hope you are doing well!