New scratches and bruises crop up daily, along with inflamed welts in a variety of sizes from flies and mosquitoes alike. My muscles are sore, but not in a debilitating way – what alleviates it is further movement, so starting on the next project always seems like a good idea. I haven’t had time to think about how crazy it is that I bought this farm – I expect that reality to finally set in when the first maple leaf turns red or when I pull my first garden harvest, whichever comes first.
I got a fair bit done this week, but my nagging perfectionism says I’m running behind schedule.
Growing Food
The previous owner was a handy guy. During the inspection period, he told me that he picked up a window from a buddy who had ordered the wrong size; he turned that window into a cold frame. (What he didn’t mention was that he actually acquired many windows at that time – the rest are in the hay loft in the barn, just waiting to become more cold frames!)
One step at a time. The existing cold frame has been all but reclaimed by nature, but this week I took my scythe and dug it out. Once I got it open, I learned that it’s beautifully constructed, but scarcely used – there is no soil inside. It’s going to take some work to make it truly accessible, as it’s still surrounded by unkempt field with 6 foot tall wild grasses and enough ticks to infect every person in Connecticut with Lyme several times over. However, it’s a start; I will grow greens and herbs this fall and hopefully deep into the winter.
The cold frame marks the beginning of a space that used to be a small garden. As I excavated, I found many wood stakes, pavers, and evidence of previous garden beds. It’s going to take some time to dig everything out the rest of the way to see what I’m working with, and I’ll let nature help me – a few hard frosts will take down most of the field (and the ticks) and allow better access.
In the meantime, I constructed three 8x4ft garden beds near the cold frame, at the edge of the yard – the official beginning of my garden. The design I went with was not original, but I found it to be the perfect balance between simple, good looking, and inexpensive. I used concrete wall blocks, 2×6 boards, and rebar for support. I’ll write up my experience and exact costs soon.
These garden beds will be the home for strawberries, asparagus, and garlic respectively. Filling them was the biggest challenge, which is why at this point I have only filled one. I am lucky to have an unlimited supply of aged horse manure, but I have to pay for it in sweat – it took three full loads with the Gator to fill one bed.
In the bed that I successfully filled, I planted several dozen volunteer strawberry plants that I liberated from my family’s farm. There was a little space left over, so I tucked in a cutting of sage as well as some leftover tomato and butternut squash seedlings from the spring planting. (Yes, I am talking about plants that have been in sad little nursery containers since at least May. They don’t look great, but I couldn’t bear to let them go!)
I suspect that once the other two beds are filled, I will have a similar amount of extra space – plus, there’s the cold frame to consider, as well as the garden at my family’s farm. As such, we started some seeds for a fall planting, including lettuce, kale, spinach, swiss chard, and brussels sprouts.
Foraging & Exploring Old Hay Lofts
I continue to explore the property and brainstorm possibilities. I have fruit trees and bushes arriving this fall, and have narrowed down an orchard location for them in a clearing; it won’t be enough space for all of my eventual fruit trees, but it will be sufficient for now.
I have considered ordering a crabapple tree to go with the sweet apple trees as I’ve heard they can be great for cross-pollination. Imagine my surprise when I was mowing the future-orchard and found an apple tree! It’s the fourth I’ve found so far, but the other three are on the other side of the property. This one will be great for pollination, and if I can make some apple sauce this year I’ll be ecstatic!
In the same area, I also found black cap raspberries, grapes, and autumn olive – all fruits that I love to forage. I ate the ripe blackcaps from the seat of my lawn tractor and it was a joy. Food forest loading…
I also explored the early 1900s cow barn – a form of foraging in and of itself, since it’s filled with useful items. This was the first time I had ventured up the mildly terrifying ladders to the hay lofts, but it was worth the effort – I found tools, canning jars, useable lumber, and an American scythe. This is an especially big deal because, as I’ve noted before, I believe strongly in the power of a scythe – especially on a small homestead. This antique needs a lot of work, but I look forward to bringing it back into service!
Settling In To The House
The garden projects have taken up much of my time, so moving in and decorating have largely shifted to the back burner. I did some touch-up painting and caulking and also installed two light fixtures, one in my bedroom and one in the kitchen – these little touches make the place feel a lot more like it’s actually mine.
The landscaping beds around the house are full of weeds, and below the weeds are blank spaces where additional plants should go. I like my landscaping to be functional wherever possible, so I started to root lavender cuttings by dipping them in rooting hormone and tucking them into soil. This is best done before the plants flower, but I decided it was worth the nonexistent risk. I also tried various sized cuttings just to see what would work best. I can always try again if it doesn’t work out.
Moving Forward
The highest priority task for week 4 will be to finish filling the garden beds with compost and finalizing plans for my fall garden. While the weather is nice and there’s still time left in the growing season, I’m focusing on laying the groundwork to grow food – but there is a list of ‘rainy day tasks’ that gets longer by the minute, so I can’t help but feel we’re due for a stormy day!
I’ve also been posting on TikTok, so you can access video updates there.
Talk soon,
KC