Sometimes, I put myself in a prison of my own making. When the garden fence was completed on June 18th, I set a rather lofty goal for myself: install and plant ten 4×18 beds by July 1st. This week was about that and only that.
Food Production
Each bed requires two full Gator-loads of compost spread on top of cardboard. I’m up to eight completed beds, five of which are planted with peppers, tomatoes, carrots, beans, squash, cucumbers, and herbs. I’m already finding myself with an unsurprising problem: I have more space than stuff to plant!
My muscles are screaming – loading the Gator with dense compost is a full-body workout. As much as I complain while dripping with sweat and swatting deer flies at the compost heap, the garden project has been as much a joy as I ever could have hoped for. For all the lactic acid settling in my body, I am able to make a lot of demonstrable progress every day – a dream coming true in real time.
I made the mistake of harvesting one of my potato towers too early. I figured that since it had been 80 days and the foliage was starting to die, it would be okay – a rookie mistake. While the harvest was small, I very much enjoyed eating them, and I will refrain from harvesting the other potato tower for a couple more weeks.
Aesthetic Utility
I couldn’t resist the temptation: I installed a retractable hose reel in the new garden. I know it’s unlikely to hold up to my lifestyle, but I abhor dealing with hoses so it’s worth the gamble. I looked at a lot of options, but ended up going with the Hoselink 82 foot hi-flow on a recommendation from a friend. So far, it’s actually great – installation was simple and using it has been easy. I will certainly report back if and when it breaks.
The chicks are now nearly three weeks old and growing nicely. The brooder set-up has worked out well, although it is a pain to clean; the chicks love to make a mess.
One chick has had abundant personality since approximately day 3. She runs towards me when I enter the room, and as soon as I unzip the flap she catapults herself out of the brooder to sit on my shoulder and/or head. Her name is Sage, and I guarantee that she will break my heart.
Moving Forward
Before July 1st, I will install and plant the last two beds. After that, my focus will shift to finishing the chicken run project that I abandoned a couple weeks ago. I will also have a load of mulch to spread on my landscaping beds – so I won’t escape the shoveling yet!
KC