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Very damp and rainy today. I'm glad I got in a big day on Saturday. But with a little sunshine the Daffodils on the solar south side berm should bloom. They are almost there now... We've been researching cold frames [ORGANIC GARDENING] so we'll be ready to build them on Saturday. I think we have the wood we'll need from wood that I've accumulated over the years. Just need some good hinges. Now I just need the time...
I planted them in back and in front of the trellis that Joey gave me for my birthday that first year we met. The trellis this year in down on the southeast berm. We'll be able to see them from our bedroom window.
These beds were prepared back on March 8, 2009 [See]
The solar south berms always warm up faster than the rest of the yard. So this year I thought I'd try some Snow Peas up there in front of the kiln room and our bedroom windows. I just have to remember to water them because the overhang keeps the rain off those areas close to the house. Oh, yes and to keep the grass back...
Under kiln room window.
Under bedroom window.
These beds were prepared back on March 8, 2009 [See]
The leaf beds are waiting... Remember them under the
snow?
Spearmint circle (closest) newly weeded and edged.
Joey said she needs a "Pottery Graveyard" where broken, cracked or exploded or just awful glazing failures (those would be my works) can go. She says that all potteries have them. It could be a bank behind the studio or out back behind a barn (we don't have either of those:). But she cannot just take them to the dump. They need a proper place fitting their earth bound roots.
So, ours will be here. We'll create a 6' x 6' area around the well head. Edged with railroad ties. We'll then throw the broken up pottery into this area. This "Pottery Graveyard" will also create a raised area around the well that will stay dry. In this way they still have a use and we can appreciate them for this purpose.
That's the plan anyway...
I've always wanted to take the wild concord grape vines that grow all over the yard and train them to grow on a wire fence like they have in vineyards. After going to Millbrook Vineyards back in February I was inspired. Especially upon hearing that the grapes there are actually vines grafted on the root stock of these same local concord grape vines that have naturally adapted to our local climate. Ok the soil the, orientation, etc. we don't have. But we have plenty of root stock that I'll try to nurture and then graft some other grape varieties onto.
The root stocks identified by white stakes on either side of the path that was rerouted to curve between them.
There are other root stock locations around the yard that I'm going to use as well.
And yes Lucy we will be crushing the grapes with a "grape stomping party" in the autumn...
I want to plant the area near the wood pile looking west. This was once part of the wood pile so it has wet and dirty wood in the ground that has to come up.
Digging out the old wood...
Wet wood that we'll let dry for the Fire Swirl or go to mulch in the woods.
I curved the path a bit as well to work better with this new planting area and my plans for the well area and the grape vines...
Double digging the planing beds. I always have used the double digging technique since reading about in the mid-seventies... Maybe in my subscription to Organic Gardening [Visit] or in Crocket's Victory Garden [Amazon.com]
...You dig the the first row as a trench putting the soil into a wheelbarrow. Then you proceed and dig each row/trench taking the soil and putting it into the empty trench/row....
...This takes the top layer and puts it on the bottom of the trench/row. This gets the organic top matter on the bottom and the less organic soil on the top. Promoting the worms and the air and the organic matter to mix better. Enriching the soil.
This is the bed where the snow peas and lettuce last year was planted. [See Photos]
I edged the bed with old marble slabs that Joey had. They will hold down the plastic cover on the wood pile as well. I'll put a wire climbing fence here against the wood pile as well for the Morning Glories to climb.
March 28, 2009: Morning Glories planted.
Morning Glories are planted along the edge near the wood pile here as well.
Not sure yet what we are going to plant here this year...
This area was woodpile this winter. The wood has been burned and now I am cleaning it up. The idea is to take all the old wood that is in the ground, remove it and stack it loosely so it will dry. Then we can burn it in the Fire Swirl.
In this area we'll build a cold frame where we'll plant lettuce for the spring. In the Summer we'll take the glass cover off and have the lettuce beds in full air. Then in the winter we'll put the glass cover back on and hopefully have lettuce into the winter and then again in spring...
So one evening after work last week I took down the frame that held the woodpile in...
Now all that wood in the ground needs to come up...
Satuday, March 28, 2009: The wood that is really rotten is going back into the woods into the wet areas. I'll let it decompose there. Someday that area will be built up with the rotted brush and wood and will be a good planting area.
To the left is the stack of wet dirty wood that was in the ground. The rain will wash it and the sun will dry it and then we'll burn it in the Swirl...
We have two old fogged glass sliding doors that we saved from the dumpster when my Mom sold her house last summer that will be the glass covers for the cold frame...
Misha what are you doing out there?
So what do you intend to plant there?
The yellow ribbon fence did keep her off the berms and the Day Lillies. This will be our little game... Misha digs this hole... and I fill it in... (photo to come:)
What a wonderful way to start a glorious day. Joey made us cappuccino and we watched the birds, a chipmunk and Misha.
I'll rake this sometime this week (when my back is better)... Cool moss.
Maybe we'll raise frogs...
Under the Fairy Tree...
Joey's Birthday Party...
Chaz, pulling the string...
Dolt!
Ok, take another peek...
You, got it! (finally)
Where's the candy!
Let me have it!
LOL!
Let Misha finish it off...
And the Pinata is still standing...
Actually they have been around for about a week.
Transformation from Winter Solstice Tree to Spring Solstice Tree...
Chaz and Christie decoration the tree with yellow spring ribbon...
Almost ready to bloom.
It seems, like all dogs, Misha likes the view from up on the south berms. So I'm going to try and persuade her to keep off while creating something nice too and getting some more trimming done on the edge of the woods while I'm at it...
Here are the bush trimmings that I cut into small stick posts...
Left berm stick-posts...
Right berm stick-posts...
Then I strung them with yellow ribbon that I had around the Corn Flowers all winter and some left over from the Spring Solstice Tree trimming...
Left berm stick-posts... with ribbons...
Right berm stick-posts... with ribbons...
Hopefully when the Tall Dasies have created a tall wall along the edge Misha wll keep back. Then the sticks become energy for the Fire Swirl.
Great evening sky...
View from the deck toward the north east...
Delight.
Daffodils coming up...
South east berm before. Day Lillies peeking up...
Hey, get busy...
Joey os cleaning the eve troughs and getting some great compost...
Daffodils after raking around them...
Beds for early planting at the top of the solar south berm. Maybe Snow Peas...
Misha trimming the blackberry shoots.
Bed for Morning Glories that will climb up the trellis...
Let's burn that baby and clear back on the edge of the woods... but leave a good portion of dead trees on the ground to promote a diverse community of life... (some thing we learned in the Bialowieza forest in Poland)
The cutting back is over (for now)...
Guinness gives you strength!
That evening we had hot dogs and beans by the fire... (Blazing Saddles, LOL)
Today March 19, 2009 the Day Lillies are about 2-3 inches out of the ground on the solar south side.
Then she went exploring and we had to chase her down... She did come back... She's a wolf after all...