July 2020 – Page 4 – Cabin Crafted

The New Garden

A hot, sweaty week of work has greatly improved the view from the back deck. After laying cardboard until it ran out, then weed blocking mat and forking rotting, molding hay over the top, we made three separate trips to the Garden Center and came back with 44 one cubic foot bags of Black Kow composted manure. It was spread over the hay, deep enough to plant in some places, a thin cover layer in others. The upper edge, nearest where the patio is being constructed from thick flat stones from our land was under the old deck and had tons of rock on it, so it is very compacted with still buried stone. Until the patio is completed, that part of the garden will be too thin to plant.

The Hummingbird feed was shifted and three of the half barrels that have annual and perennial plants in bloom were arranged around the pole. The Hummingbirds fly back there, but I haven’t seen any of them feeding from it yet. The Finches finally accepted the new hopper feeder, so I am seeing birds around the garden now.

Some plants have been transplanted to the deeper areas of the new garden, the potted perennial herbs moved to what I hope will be their permanent location, some Calendula plants and the volunteer Comfrey plants in their new location, a few Dutch and Bearded Iris nearer the shallow part as they have shallow roots. The sprinkler is running every day to help the new plants establish root systems and not just wilt and die.

There was a large stone up under a cedar tree on the edge of the driveway that looked like a good potential patio stone. It was flat on both side and thick. The tractor was able to pull it out from under the tree, but it was too heavy for me to flip into the bucket, so I shoved it down the driveway hill with the tractor until I could wedge it against the hill at the bottom near the house and used gravity to ease it into the bucket. The tractor bucket gently set it in the patio area where it is going to take “Charles Atlas” to move it again. It may become a fixed point that is built up around it.

It is almost large enough for the grill to sit on, but I really want it up against the wall that is 14″ away from it’s current location. I may enlist the help of the two younger hay men to shift it over for me.

There are many more nice large, flat stones that Son 1 unearthed when he dug the trench for the yard hydrant line that have been hauled to the edges of some of the rock piles, but until the stickweed dies back this fall, I am unwilling to try to get them. It might be wiser to wait until the temperatures cool some before doing any more heavy work like that. I am still shifting some stone to even out the top of the garden wall. The lower spots are more visible now that there is soil in there.

Here is the result of the week of hot, heavy work.

I am pleased.

Stay safe. Wear a mask, it isn’t a political statement, it is a health and safely issue.

Each year, each project

My memory on Facebook this morning from one year ago was a harvest of red ripe tomatoes and tomatillos. This year the tomatoes are all still green, there are tomatillos forming, but not ready to harvest, but the cucumbers are coming in quickly now and there are dozens of blossoms on the spreading vines. I fight them every morning to keep them from taking over the other half of the bed where some of the peppers are planted and sending the vines away from the beans and out into the corn and the path in the other direction.

Yesterday after hubby’s appointment, we did our feed run for the critters and I purchased a new feeder to replace the one that was broken and added a second Hummingbird feeder. I couldn’t get the three tines of the double shepherd’s crook through the weedmat, soil, and underlying gravel, it was barely stuck in the ground before and mostly propped up with rocks. It can’t be put between stones in the retaining wall for obvious safety and structural reasons and I was at a loss. I finally grabbed a half barrel that was in the front by the garage door with one puny plant in it, transplanted the plant and repurposed the half barrel with soil and many rocks to stabilize it and the pole and set it on the retaining wall edge. The birds fly to the crook, look at the feeder, and fly off. So far they haven’t braved trying to eat from the hopper style feeder. The Hummingbird feeder is too far from the flowers, so the single crook will be moved to a flower bed and the feeder hung there until there are flowers in the new large walled garden.

Once evening was dimming and the temperature was falling, the bags of compost that were just tossed over the wall onto the hay a few days ago, were opened and spread. So far, we have purchased 28 bags and it hasn’t even covered the entire area with a layer. It will probably take at least that many more, then topped with shredded leaves this fall and a layer of some sort of mulch.

The 9 hens aren’t pulling their weight. Feed is too expensive if they aren’t going to provide food in return. Ms. Broody finally gave up sitting after 9 weeks of broodiness, but she hasn’t resumed laying. None of the Olive eggers are laying. I don’t know if it is the heat or that they are aging out. Day before yesterday, there were 3 eggs and one of them the shell was so fragile that it had been cracked in the nest by the weight of the next hen to lay. It went straight into the compost pile. Last night there were 3 and a marble with no yolk.

I should get new chicks before it gets cold and introduce them to the layer coop and move the old ladies to the Chicken palace and give them free range during the day. There are nesting boxes in there, but past hens have been reluctant to use them.

Yesterday, I posted that it was the beginning of fermenting season with green beans and cucumbers. Today was the beginning of a non edible, non potable ferment. The long stalks of Comfrey that fall over mid summer were cut and chopped, loaded into a couple of lidded buckets and filled with water set in the sun. It will make a stinky slimy mess that is the best garden fertilizer ever. The Comfrey that didn’t fit in the buckets is put in the compost pile or spread as mulch in the garden.

In cutting back the stalks, I see several Comfrey volunteers that will be dug and moved over to the walled garden in the herbal medicine area. As the edible herb and medicinal herbs will be on the south and west of the retaining wall, that area is already filled deeply with the composted soil and after adding another couple bags this evening, it will begin to be planted so the plants can establish good root systems before cold weather. The Rosemary and Thyme are in pots on the deck steps and they will be moved. Calendula plants in pots will be moved as it self seeds nicely, but seed will be gathered from the bed where Calendula is growing now to use if the transplants don’t provide seedling in spring. There are a few Echinacea plants that I started from seed this spring that can be added where the new bed has soil deep enough to plant in and some Rudbecia that has established by the garage will be divided and some of it added to the new bed. The upper flat area of the walled garden was under the old deck, it has had tons of rock piled on it for 15 years and is hard and compacted. Once the patio is finished and there is a solid edge to work against, I will work to deepen and enrich the soil there enough for planting. Until then, the half barrels of flowers that are currently not in the best locations will be settled in and kept planted with annuals for color. It is going to be an area to enjoy, an area to attract birds, eventually a place to prepare and enjoy outdoor meals.

I will end today’s missive with a picture of the most gorgeous sky last evening as the preview always uses the last photo in my blog. It was beautiful to look at as I worked in the new garden and tended the evening chores, but enough cloud coverage to obscure any view of the comet later.

Stay safe everyone. Wear a mask, it isn’t a political statement, it is a health and safely statement.

Almost done

After lunch yesterday, we had another 16 bags of Black Kow compost loaded into the back of the car and we parked it by the wall. In spite of the heat, I got out with the weed mat, scissors, and garden tools and finished spreading out the weed mat, forked hay on it, and unloaded the 16 bags of compost. Five were opened and spread, the other 11 are scattered around on the hay, but the heat and time got the best of me and I quit just before first thunderstorm started.

As I moved stones, the good sized gray on with a fossiled surface was lugged and rolled up and shimmed in place as one more piece to the patio and other larger flat potential stones were moved aside.

The top of the retaining wall was edged with stones holding down the weed mat to prevent the soil from eroding through on to the wall.

While I was working, one of the hay farmers raked and baled the remaining hay that was mowed a few days ago. They got 41 large 5′ round bales from the upper fields. The lower south field is still standing and will be for another week or so, but they expect to get at least that much more from that field.

Two of the four collection points to await the trailers and trucks to pick them up this weekend.

Yesterday morning while it was still cool, I picked a good sized basket of green beans and the first cucumbers. We enjoyed some for dinner, the rest will be blanched and frozen or fermented into dilly beans. I was excited to see peppers formed and growing when I was pulling weeds for the hens. This morning’s decision was fermenting. Two quart jars, one of dilly beans, one of dilly beans and thick cucumber slices. The rest will be blanched tonight, some frozen, some eaten with dinner.

Since my focus has been on the walled garden area, I still haven’t made or repaired the garden boxes. I did get the garlic tied in bunches and brought in to the garage and hung on an old ladder to dry and the onions brought in and spread on a screen on top of the wheelbarrow to cure before they are moved to the basement storage area. Canning hasn’t begun, but the freezer is filling for the winter months when fresh foods aren’t available. I do love my gardens and the putting by season.

Be safe everyone and remember, masks aren’t a political issue, they are a health and safely issue. Wear one.