Sunday, 20 September 2020
at home
In the late afternoon, I started working on a compost project directly related to the second fish tote, which with its lid has been serving as a table for container veg.
I moved the containers, needing Allan’s left handed assistance only for the biggest container of beets.
You can see how beautifully the beets are doing in the fish tote that I filled with compost, leaf mold, and one bag of Gardner and Bloome raised bed mix earlier this summer.
In looking at the blog A Way To Garden, I had first come across this article about hugelkultur, the building of raised beds on top of logs. A bit more searching came up with several articles about using hugelkultur in large containers. Alder and willow were among the suggested best woods, and those were exactly what sort of rotting wood I had sitting around, and also some maple from a big old stump in Alicia’s yard next door. I started collecting it in a wheelbarrow. After the first batch, in a rotten wood pile I’d set up for insect life, I had to scavenge more eagerly. I found I could pry some bits off of the old Danger Tree.
I didn’t want to take too much because I am interested in the natural timeline of the tree breaking down. I then explored out past the fence in the wild willow grove.
There I found a big rotten trunk that let me pry some dead wood off.
It is a treasure to me to have such a wild area just outside the fence but on our own property.
I layered the wood into the fish tote.
It should or could be filled in between with wood chips, but I don’t have any so I crammed as much rotting little bits of wood in as I could.
Another brainstorm inspired me to google using wool in a container, and I found a source suggesting it could be placed at the bottom as an organic addition. Heather of Purly Shell Fiber Arts at the port had recently brought me two bags of wool, so why not?
I added one container of potting soil from which I had harvested beets.
In the wee hours, I fretted over whether I should have put the wool at the bottom and then the wood, but I wasn’t about to change it now.
Monday, 21 September 2020
I realized that, now that water season is over, I could enjoy Monday without a growing feeling of dead about watering in Long Beach on Tuesday.
Tony came by with some delicious Cox’s Orange Pippin baked goods. Scott is going to process and freeze the rest of the apples for more baked goods later. (I need to find out how he does that.)
Allan mowed.
Today was a compost day. I turned and sifted bin four into bins three and two. I was absolutely determined to end up with two empty bins (one and four) before big fall clean ups begin and before getting the hanging baskets innards from Long Beach. At least, I hope to get them. I’ve sent a text, and phone message, and also asked a crew member to please pile up the innards for me (soil and plants) when they take the baskets down.
The process included trimming back Geranium ‘Rozanne’ and more in the canoe bed to acquire some green to layer with the brown compost material in order to speed up decomposition.
Thus did I achieve two empty bins.
I could see the canoe more clearly with the geranium cut back.
I will leave the geranium at the south end of the middle bed for now because I like its wildness.
The product of bin one was sorely disappointing, though. This is all I got.
The bins have been dry and consisted mostly of brown material and had not been turned for weeks, if not months.
Into the fish tote it went.
Needing more soil, I scoured through the greenhouses for tomato plants that were clearly not going to give me many more tomatoes in the cooler weather, picked what they had and used the soil to almost fill the tote, then added the bale of raised bed mix and a bag of Harvest Supreme mulch. It had begun to rain and I was too drenched and cold and dirty at the end to even think of taking an after photo.
We had a delicious dinner of salmon from the Norwoodswith everything else homegrown: potatoes, chard and beet greens cooked with runner beans (well, the turkey bacon wasn’t home grown) and Allan’s Cox’s Orange Pippen apple crisp, the last two pieces.
As for the tomatoes, I brought them inside to ripen. I live in hope.
As always, I am in awe of how much you grow and how much you do.
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I must quote Mr Tootlepedal, who in the comment section of his blog said, “I must point out that I spend much more time writing and taking picture of the ten percent of the time when I am active than I do of the other ninety percent when I am either complaining about the government or snoozing.” Or, in my case, reading too much social media.
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I am even more in awe of you. And, of course, Mr. Tootlepedal.
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I have three hugulkulter mounds born of necessity amongst a stand of cedars whose roots meant nothing could be planted under or near. I have planted them with ferns. I think you will love this method of gardening, not to mention in a few years that fish tote will be filled with gold.
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Thank you. That’s very encouraging. Here’s a blog spoiler…I got five more fish totes yesterday!
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That composting looks interesting. I shall look forward to seeing developments.
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When I was in my 20’s I longed for a set of that Blue Calico dinnerware. You have reminded me of this. I bet I could find a few plates on ebay to satisfy those long ago dreams.
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I have just a few that a friend gave me. I love the pattern.
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We’re having a good tomato year here. Cucumbers, not so good, but they are looking better now the smoke has passed.
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I hope the smoke stays away and I hope it did not hurt your grapes.
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