My work commitments start to taper off as summer approaches, and the days stretch seemingly forever after I’ve gotten home from work. I often start the evening with the intention of completing a specific task, only to get distracted by several other tasks along the way – leading to many half-weeded landscaping beds and one singular post set for my eventual chicken run. I figure that anything I do between now and the last day of school is a bonus, in a sense, and the real progress will be made once my schedule is clear.
Food Production
I have officially paid the deposit for my garden fence installation, which is scheduled for the week after next. Once it’s in, I’ll need to hit the ground running on hauling in compost and cardboard. I’ve poured over plans and have a clear vision for the end result, but the sheer volume of labor that needs to happen to get there will be incredible. I have no doubt that I can get it done; I just hope I remember to enjoy the process.
I finished up-potting all of my tomato seedlings, and bought some herbs from a local nursery. While most of my garden will be in the ground, I plan to have beds around the perimeter filled with perennials and herbs, which should be both aesthetically pleasing and functional – pungent herbs are just one line of defense against pilferers.
Aesthetic Utility
I’m trying – and largely failing – to stay on top of the landscaping by chipping away at weeds with each free moment. It often feels like three new weeds pop up with each that I pull. The hydrangeas have been stretching knobby sticks towards the sky for weeks, not unlike a dead spider; it seems the deep freezes this spring have eliminated the possibility of blooms this year, so I finally trimmed them down to support the new growth and hopeful blooms for next year.
I’ve been trying to avoid ordering patio furniture due to the expense, but my gorgeous deck is designed to support a lovely outdoor dining space. I cannot justify staying inside while breathtaking sunrises and sunsets are happening outside, and the roadside patio sets that I’ve seen set out for bulk pickup do not do the space justice. I splurged on a patio set from Polywood that will hopefully last a lifetime, and it’s scheduled to be delivered just before summer break.
Resource Acquisition & Preparedness
I brought in the first official load of firewood for next year – it wasn’t much, but if I can do this once or twice a week throughout the summer, I’ll be all set for next winter.
I also found wine cap mushrooms growing in the wood chips at my adopted mom’s garden. After verifying with a few sources that my identification was correct, I dehydrated them. I’m not a huge fan of mushrooms and these are very mushroom-y mushrooms, but they were easy to preserve and are likely to continue popping up now that they’ve established themselves there. I could definitely see them adding nice flavor to a mushroom gravy.
Moving Forward
The following things need to happen in the next few weeks:
- Garden fence installation
- Dig the trench for the water line
- Get the water line installed (and the plumber will swap my double-basin sink for a single basin while he’s here)
- Layer cardboard and compost in the garden (reminder: the garden is enormous)
- Plant the garden
- Build the chicken run
- Set up the chick brooder – the chicks should be coming next week!
Looking at that list stresses me out a bit, but I’m eager to get started.
Talk soon,
KC