First of all, it's National Hanging Out Day. I realize it's supposed to rain for the next four days in our neck of the woods, but I encourage everyone to line dry whenever they can! Check out Project Laundry List to learn more.
It has been lovely and sunny and warm the past week. We've done a lot of garden prep work, lots of laundry on the line, and planting of the colder weather things like spinach, peas and chard. The yard still looks like we're glorified dirt farmers, but I like to document the slow progression from dirt to insane August jungle.
Yesterday, our awesome neighbor granted us use of part of his yard to garden in. We have to clear a little bit and till it, but there's a lot of extra space there. (K, we can probably gift you a small garden share, if you like what we grow. This might be the very smallest of CSAs!)
Unfortunately, our rototiller bit the dust on Thursday. We're unsure if we can fix it. Not bad tho, since we received it for free. G had to turn over the left over part of the garden with a shovel, which is hard work. I worked on making furrows between the rows with a hoe, which kicked my butt and gave me lovely calluses. Tho it does feel good to go to bed at night a little sore, tired and sun burned. :)
The mushrooms pictured above came from our mushroom growing kit. I looked one day and could see the very smallest pin heads of mushrooms beginning to grow. I didn't check for another 3 days and found enormous button mushrooms the size of the palm of my hand. Apparently, fungus can grow very quickly in our kitchen.
Also pictured above are the hops just beginning to grow crazy. They need to be tended to and soon, otherwise they'll totally take over. Last year they began growing inside the garage. G has an idea to string a rope very high up between two trees so that the hops can actually grow straight up to their full potential (which can be 30 feet or so) instead of their current set up which is to grow 12 feet or so before being directed to vine sideways on twine.
Another project in the works is finally building a fort/club house thing for the kids to stand where the forsythia bushes used to be. We've got a stack of library books about kid's forts that G and the kids are poring through. We'll be using primarily scrap wood, so it won't be nearly as fancy as some of the stuff we're looking at. S has ideas of a two story structure with a loft for sleeping. Her pathetic parents are thinking of a square wood building with two windows and a door. :)
9 comments:
Happy Hanging Out Day! It's cloudy and damp here as well but at least it isn't actively raining. I'm amazed at your yard and how much you've got tilled up. I love the idea of a fort for the children! That sounds like FUN!
Judy
Looks great and you have so much space! Doesn't it feel satisfying going to bed aching and knowing it is all because of hard manual labor in your own backyard? Can't wait to see all that you produce this year. Well done all of you! :)
I love that, National Hanging Out day, I observed it without knowing :-) How nice of your neighbor to share the garden. Gack on the dirt and clearing work, but its worth it, what are you planning to put in the area?
Thanks for the offer of a share, but I prefer to keep hopping the fence in the dead of night to take what I likes. I spent all that money on those night vision goggles, and darn it, I’m gonna get my money’s worth. Giving me the share takes away the fun of it, so I’ll have to take a pass on your gracious offer. But seriously, other than an occasional request I may have for a tomato, squash, or smattering of herbs, I need no payment. I look forward to turning over part of my vast estate to see what y’all can do with it. Knock yourselves out! Since S didn’t show all that much grace hopping the fence, I’ll replace the front gate and update it with a combo lock so that you can have easier access when the time comes. Just need to keep it closed so that the hound doesn’t start roaming the neighborhood, eating any wayward children that may cross his path!
Following your positive example, I’d like to install a clothes line between my mansion and the carriage house. But I fear that between my line and the line of the ‘other’ neighbors who have their line anchored to my carriage house, it may degrade the structural integrity. It’s pretty dodgy as it is, and I don’t want to wake up one morning to find it collapsed! Actually, I don’t want to scandalize my neighborhood from the sight of my draws flapping in the breeze and sun!
And thank G for all his assistance in cleaning up the forest canopy. It made for a much more enjoyable afternoon, and speedier work. Between myself, G, M, a chainsaw, and Mr. Labatt’s Blue, we can make the world a better place.
K
Living Local,
I *think* we're going to plant our small amount of heritage wheat in the added space at our neighbors. It won't be a lot, but it will be a fun project. After much thought, I dropped the idea of trying to grow a year's worth of wheat for our family because I don't have the space for that and veggies. This might be our chance to grow the wheat we do have. Again, I'm a complete novice here!
Wow, that's a lot of dirt space :). We just tilled up our first half of the garden this week. We had to put fence up to keep the rabbits out and if it dries up by the end of the week we'll be putting in peas, spinach, lettuce and onions.
How are you and the new baby doing? :)
am i K are you got another K in your life. you know i am all about the food if you are talking about me. i was trying to mentally go through all the "k"'s in your life and i could not think of many so i though i would ask.
btw. what size freezer do you have and did you fine it adequate?mon
crap i guess i am not k. whoops.
Kate, "K" is in the estate just south of us. Many folks spell his name with a "C", but's he a "K" type of guy.
Sorry to get you excited about the world's smallest CSA! ;) "K" has granted us permission to tear up half his yard for planting. Very exciting!
Our freezer is a chest freezer. I'm too lazy to go down there and see how many cubic feet it is. It's big, tho. It certainly held 1/2 a hog, a 1/4 beef and lots and lots of chicken parts, along with various veg in ziploc bags without much trouble. You can poke around in it tomorrow if you're coming over. Just move those placentas aside... ;)
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