What a grand journey through life’s garden

This is becoming a favorite time of the year.

 

Many gardeners, and even small farmers spend this time cleaning up the past years crops and their residue. Here at the small farm there are some things that will need to be cleaned up, some things that will need to be started, and several things that will need to be planned.

 

The cleanup is on the areas of the hoop house that were planted last spring. It went in the end of May and I was helped by a friend who is no longer available to help.  The hoop house wasn’t covered most of the summer and this ended up like just a regular garden with raised beds.  Now we have the expired plants of beans, peas, zukes, cukes, melons, squash, pumpkins and some small beds of greens and such.

The expired plants can now be composted inside or out. The beds can be realigned, meaning instead of 5 beds going the length the new layout will be 3 wider beds and only losing a couple feet to pathways.

Some of the things to start will include getting up and running the solar energy experiment. Thanks to my Kansas kiddo for helping me get this started!  I am also going to get a root cellar done in the shed where the water pump is.  A bit of insulation, a bit of heat for over the winter, some air for spring and fall and darkness for the rest of the time.  This project is part of the side hoop house that will be a planting shed and potting area.

I am also planning to put a roof support in the large hh and and a working table with composting area below. I am hoping to be able to add a worm area so I can move these out into the hh from the house.  They do best in a temp of 40 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit so there will be supplemental heating needed for them to do their best. 

Electricity and water will have to be run to the far end of the new larger hh. It is 85 feet long and 20 feet wide so this is a rather large project for this winter. 

Outside there is work on the driveway, some new gravel and the leveling of it off (by hand).  There is a pile of woodchips to relocate and compost and also a few acres of new beds to prep for spring planting.  The planning of these beds is fun, the prep is work and the harvesting is pure joy.

The biggest change in the farm is the loss of one of the main partners. I am now going to have to go it alone, with the side job of caring for my mother. She doesn’t drive, although is very healthy, and her medical issues are well controlled.  This won’t leave a lot of time for an off farm/town job but there has to be one someplace that I can do.  The turn in the workload is mind boggling.

Well it’s off to find a few baskets to pick the last of the tomatoes-mostly green but still worth getting into the house!

Be well;peace…dan  

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