Monday, April 19, 2010

where is the rain when you need it?

the forcast was for rain.....all rain all weekend.
so we sort of did things that would require water after
like putting the cardboard down for lasagna gardening
figuring the RAIN would wet it, which is a good thing as the hose doesn't reach.......
so it spit at us
icy stinging tiny needles of drops here and there
no where near what we needed
we also were afraid to hang the clothes out, but then the sun came so we did
now today
since it didn't rain
and we didn't raise the beds in the garden
i am sort of behind yet again
all i needed was one board cut in four peices...(3 cuts total) that most likely isn't going to happen until the weekend delaying me yet another week in planting out
we got metal thingies to hold the boards together
and the boards are 12'' high by 2'' thick......and 8 feet long
no it isn't enough but maybe it's a start?
i may finally be able to grow beets, turnips, kolrobi in the garden?
for the 5 boards we paid $74.85 which is about 34. and change per bed
that is worth it i think for beds that i can grow stuff in for years and years......plus i can put a hoop on them or wire box
and the hoop can be remay, or plastic....... so i think it's going to be a good thing
i think some of the other beds will be 8'' and then the back beds will be 12'' and we can add a cold frame topper.
i think that the small beds of 8'' should be for pole beads
now the one thing i am concerned about is the crop rotation.....i will of course rotate, but should i plan on longer?
we are also most likely going to enlarge the garden (i would love that) i would like enough space for the equivilant of 100' of beans or 100' of sweet peppers

there are two huge maples out there.....one i think is a swamp maple and the other i am not sure..... they are HUGE as tall as our big sugar maples.....and drop a very abundant crop of winged maple seeds in my garden every single may
i am hoping that by putting the raised beds i can cover them for the annual drop and then just compost the seeds.....
and since we are also hoping that we can top flight the garden so the chickens etc can run around free in there to eat buggies......and offending grasses and weeds ( i know i need a weeder goose) -- i am thinking that the raised beds will protect (i hope) the veggies
if we enlarge the garden enough......eventually it should include a screen house to sit and watch the birds, and a small pond with fish right?
hahaha
oye
that better be some STRONG fencing to keep the bears out...

i am wondering now if we will ever leave here- so under the wisdom of blooming where i am planted.... i intend on it.
of course the second we get it all nice, and the house gets an addition etc.........THEN we'll be able to move.. and sheep and goats and cows will get me out of here.....

ok my art supplies are enroute to philly, they are scheduled for tomorrow to be delivered......
my hands and shoulders still hurt, in spite of the aspirin, ice and ligament massage that my PT (remember her? i used to call her mengela) showed me.....but they aren't screaming in pain like they were.
i want to finish that black and white i been showing you all before the other stuff gets here but i may not
i got some samples of good paper in that order, so i am going to see if it will hold up to what i intend on throwing at it

also
everyone, i can't decide..... should i order 6 muscovy ducklings from oklahoma? they would be the all white, blue eyed meat strain like my ducks, or just get a drake from one of my friends....i need unrelated
either way would be unrelated. for a non meat strain duck i would prefer cream or light gray not the dark colors as we do eat the drakes. (what else am i going to do with them? no one wanted them as pets)
i do have to get a fresh drake that is unrelated.
falstaff tries but i don't think he's getting anywhere.
at least with an unrelated drake, i can have lilli be a mommy as she so wants to be......phoebe no as her eggies are way too tiny
and i can put him on momma duck without worry either...i would prefer to put him on momma either way as she is a bigger duck visually.....(but lilli weighs more!)
oye
oh and lilli is broody.....and got pms.....and the squeaks.....which crack me up.... at least when i call her she squeaks back at me

another fast thing...jen asked me to go to allentown with her tomorrow, i think i will as long as i can get to the post office
sooooooo
everyone?
i know catherine posted, as did flicka recently, and bonnie, sandie, angie (ty angie, i posted those links within that post) garilynn, and of course susan.... i know i am missing some folks......donald hasn't said anything for a while, i hope he's well and his computer is also.
who am i missing?
i always am missing someone - i don't mean to..... (dorothy yes there really is a for sale sign next door)
we didn't get the easter budgies down from the bedroom yet..... a lot of stuff didn't get done
bernie is home but the poor guy needs some time to recover.
i need an old fashioned handy man.... some retired person, who's wife sells butter and eggs and he does odd chores around. for a reasonable rate and coffee
when i was a kid, all the neighbors helped as well as all the relatives.... stuff got done with many hands and a lot of laughter....(and bbq sausage and peppers, trays of lasagna, bowls of sauce and meatballs and bottles of homemade red wine)
it isn't like that for me sadly...... but that is life

3 comments:

  1. My MIL had the last all purpose handy man for her rental property. He could do everything and then up and decided to go into sustainable house building. After that she could not get anyone at a reasonable price and before long sold her rental property. DH fixes just about anything, but with his back having problems in the last 4 years, not as much gets fixed. We putter along, praying that nothing falls in on us.

    I would get the ducks yesterday! I want ducks and guineas, too. Our across the road neighbor has guineas, but they are always on our property. They drive the dog crazy with their call. Last year, they used our front garden area as their nursery and raised lots of little guineas.

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  2. Around here they are selling square foot garden kits--$40 for a 4' x 4' frame. Then the dirt is $7 for a little bag, you'd need at least 4 bags or more for the small frame. I think your price for your wood is very reasonable, and yes, it is a good start. I have 6 beds, 4' x 6', but there is always something else I want to plant and don't have room for. hahaha

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  3. gariylynn, i am trying to find a good sized unrelated outcross in a pastel color.....i think i did, but i need quarrentine pen space that's secure...we're working on it

    vicki, this garden drove me nuts from the beginning, i had to MAKE all my soil, as there was about 1'' of crap top soil out there, like concrete. now i am trying to make sure it's easier for me to handle without help. i think this should work, (i wanted raised beds in the first place and have waited i think 4 or 5 years for them in this garden)

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vi