Fall has been keeping me awful busy. Not having to water, weed and pick pests has given me a chance to knock out some daydream projects. The state of the beds is strong. The front terraced beds are loaded with cover crop and the field pea tendrils are delicious when they still have the morning dew hanging. Last week I planted the last row of Music and Susanville garlic. The other rows have between 4 to 6 inch shoots. The radishes and oats have a strong showing on either side of the garlic rows; enough so that something decided to nibble on the baby radishes. The kale and mustard greens have been a welcome addition to all meals.
Yesterday I decided to pull the trigger on a new blackberry bed on the north side of the house. It is a gamble to put in on the side of the house, but I believe the plant will get enough sun during the spring and summer to produce. Once again, I am amazed by the soil I encountered under the turf. A hummus rich mixture from decades of grass clipping. The new bed is pictured to the top right. The sides are made from salvaged 4X4 s painted red. They are trenched into the ground past turf level and the removed soil was mounded in the center and covered in black plastic. This will be the future home of some root cutting I made last weekend. I snipped a mixture of old and new canes, dipped them in a hormone growth mixture, potted them and placed them in the green house. Hopefully they will root and like their new home.
In the back, I am trying to prepare for an awesome spring. The back raised bed was filled and seeded with a soil builder cover crop from Fresh Start Organic Supply Co. Steve Paradis, the owner and farmer, came out to the house and did some filming last weekend. He is gradually compiling a series of 3 minute videos that offer advice and know-how for small scale organic and sustainable agriculture. It was great to be able to share as well as see Steve's perspective.
Two weeks ago I worked with the twins for an afternoon. Besides stealing leaves from the streets to sill up the compost, we did some planting for the greenhouse. We made four flats of 6 three inch pots of red leaf lettuce, kale, mustards and spinach. All flats have seedling in each except mustard. They appear to be spindly due to lack of sunshine. I am not sure whether this is due to the structure, the location or the overcast weather we have had since they busted out.
The old herb garden received a makeover today in preparation for ducks. Sarah and I installed a pond. It measured 3 feet in length, 2 feet wide and a varied depth with the deepest at 2 feet. The main purpose of this pond is to be a water source for the Indian Runners in the spring. I also hope to plant cattails for their tubers and also because they remind me of my youth at 519 Old Skippack in Lederach. Mosquitoes will hopefully be eaten by goldfish I will toss in the pond. The problem of drainage was an issue. Sarah and I tried to resolve the problem by connecting the pond with the rain barrel on one side to fill it and by installing an overflow hose that is buried along the edge of the yard, ending 8 inches below ground in the 4 in PVC pipe that runs down the center of the first raised bed. This pipe is then covered in river rock. The plan is then to dig 8 in deep laterals off of this 6 ft pipe trench to fill with rock. These will provide water circulation underneath of the raised bed to deep rooted crops.
I have finished tanning 12 rabbit hides in two batches. They are tanned in a mixture of water, salt and aluminum sulfate which I found out not only preserve rabbit pelts but destroy brand new cell phones. After a week and a half, they can be washed, dried and broken. So far I have made a hat (pictured above) which I showed to my kiddos at school. The next day one of my favorite students showed up with a tanned hide of his own to have me show him how to make a hat. I am not sure you can even learn that in a private school atmosphere.
Other products are currently mellowing. The next rainy day I will take out a plug of tobacco that has been pressing out and reload the presses. It has an earthy sweet smell and taste but could use more honey on the next round. The wine which has been aging at Bryce's might be a failed experiment. The idea of crushing the seeds, instead of enhancing the nutrient value of the wine, released a massive amount of tannins which create an incredibly bitter after taste that barely make it worth drinking. My advice was to make some vinegar or possibly make a still and make some grappa. The cool thing about messing up is that you always get another adventure. When you get it right the first time, you need to find something else to mess up.
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