ED 2012

This is kind of sad in a way.  We did a half mile sweep of the road, from our house west and this is what we got.  Only one other house on the road in all that distance and a pond on the other side of the road.  It isn't like we live on a main highway or that people would just wonder on to our road.  So to me this means that the debris left on the side of the road is probably put their by people who pass this way often.  Who would want to drive past this stuff everyday?  What kind of person lives like this?  I will say no more on that.

Tomorrow I will recycle what I can and then it's off to the transfer station with what's left, as well as our semi-annual house trash trip.

Earth Day 2012 local clean up!  Litterbugs prefer Marlboro cigarettes
and Budweiser beer, as well as vitamin water and energy drinks!

Later in the day I hope to plant an Apple sapling that I started from seed a year, or so, ago as another marker of Earth Day.

Around here everyday is Earth day, (Duh!)  but today we get to be a little more vocal about it and clean up after other peoples mess.

Asparagus!

We've had about 4 meals from the Asparagus patch this year.  THE BOUNTY!!!

Seedlings of squash, tomato, peppers, savory, cantalope and more have all popped up in the low tunnel.

Sprung!

     As Spring has Sprung, and even felt a bit like summer yesterday, Green is becoming more and more visible.  Saw the first Skink yesterday and the first Garter Snake this morning.  Hiking in the woods becomes a bit of a concern, as we need to start to keep aware of the Copperheads, and rattler's.

One of the things I really wanted our place to become was a menagerie of edible plants.  It is getting there, partly because we have become informed about what is edible that grows wild and partly because we just let things bolt and throw seeds everywhere, rather than compost them.  It does make weeding more challenging in that I tend to let things grow a little longer to see if they can be food or not. 

Collards, collards, everywhere.

 Our one lone tulip
(Damn autozoom!)

Apple Blossoms

Young Apple trees

Fig, just uncovered from it's winter coat

Fig blossoms and little fruit!
(Damn autozoom!)

Little Figs!
(Damn autozoom!)

Kale plant that wintered over is now sprouting leaves.
We'll probably just let this one bolt.

At the foot of this Birch last year we
planted a bunch of wild edibles

Snap peas sprouts

The Dogwood trees make nice borders for
the little place.

Rock Climbing and compost gathering

I have gotten all the leaves off of the beds.  I left a layer on them over the winter to help keep the erosion down.  For this years amendments I am adding compost from our property.  I found that in areas where the leaves have sat for years with out being raked away, a lot of the place, the soil under the top layer of leaves is a few inches deep, moist but not wet, light, fluffy, dark and usually full of worms.  It is composted leaves.  I found that a section of rock wall at the high point of the place is a really great place to boulder, that is practice rock climbing.  So I am taking the compost from the base of this cliff in order to expose more rock while getting good earth for the garden beds.  The wall is about 12 feet or so high but it has got some good moves on it.

Rock climbing and gardening go together!

 The first of the asparagus has shot up!  We really need more plants.  We get about enough for one or two meals each year.  Kind of makes it a very special treat.

One of the first Asparagus shoots!

 The first strawberry blossoms have arrived as well.  Lets see who gets more strawberries this year, us or the chipmunks.

First strawberry blossom

Flowers of all kinds have bloomed.  It is a little bit early but a welcomed sight.  I had to mow the grass for the first time yesterday.  The smell of fresh cut wild onions.

Early Spring Improvements

It is still to early to plant, but it is a good time to get some of the physical things in order in anticipation of the growing season.  In truth, I think I should be in the seed starting phase and as usual am late to get started.  It takes up a bit of the inside of our little house to do it and I am want to give up the space.

What I have done is to pull out the "chicken wire" fencing from around the main garden on the down hill side, as well as the boards that formed a bulkhead to hold the garden in place.  The stone wall just down hill of the garden is now going to act as the bulk head, thus giving us a little more room, and elevation, and letting me get the wood out of the ground that might have been a lure to pests.

new section of stone wall.  Bulbs looking very green in March.

 one of the first things I did yesterday was to take down a section of wooden picket fencing and begin to replace it with stone wall.  The stones for the wall have been accumulating in a pile over the past year and were now at an amount that seemed sufficient to start the build.

new section of loose stone wall.

I have a lot of rock on the property.  I chose to build loose stone walls where ever I could because the pitch of the property is so steep that the force of water running down hill would eventually overcome any structures attempting to hold it back.  The loose stones allow for some moisture to get thru preventing hydroscopic tension, but still hold the earth in place.  My walls at this spot are also allowing us to build up the level of the garden beds to some degree.

It is kind of nice to have the fencing down, though it feels a bit exposed, more so because I just cut back all the big grasses that lined the property where the road is.

All is still very brown/grey here, but a warmth has set in that speaks of green and rebirth and Springtime soon to come.  Next week is the Vernal Equinox so we are actually getting there.

Low Tunnel, revisited

A person at the Farmer's Market asked about our low tunnels so I thought I'd post some pics for her.

I made this tunnel out of reclaimed automobile garage/awning that got crushed by a fallen tree, some reclaimed wood, and some thin mil plastic from the hardware store.  The plastic lasts about 2 or 3 seasons and the structure has supported almost 2 feet of snow.

In the summer I leave the framing up but pull off the plastic.

For the late fall/winter we typically grow carrots, chard, kale, arugula, onion, and what ever odd veggie that we might want to try.

The area is 15 feet long by 10 feet wide with doors at both ends that we use to ventilate it on warm days.  We almost never water in the winter because of the condensation that accumulates and falls like rain if we shake the frame.

Low tunnel Fall 2011

This picture was taken as we were setting it up for the coming winter.  We have 2 long beds with a path down the middle.  The beds are each about 3 feet wide, the sides we can stretch across to weed and harvest with about a foot between the outside walls and each bed.

2010 Low tunnels in summer. Note the orange tree in a pot on the stump.  This year we got 19 oranges from this little tree and they became marmalade.

Low tunnel and really low tunnel in the foreground, 2010.

Boat shed that looks like a High tunnel.

White carrots for the white rabbit?

carrot from the low tunnel February 2012

Sweet tasting!