Garrison and I started on the garden last weekend. I uncovered the row that had been covered for the most part with cardboard and newspaper, and it was by far the best soil in the area. It looks awful messy, but sure seems to draw the earthworms from far and wide. I will continue to use newspaper and cardboard in spite of how it looks. You can see my row in the picture below - it's the messy one, haha. It was nice to get my hands in the dirt again after such a long and cold winter. I'm so ready for spring! The bluebirds are out looking for nesting sites, so I need to get our box hung very quickly now. Bluebirds are great garden companions; they eat many of the bugs that like to eat our garden.
Garrison planted strawberries and green onions and I planted yellow onions and lettuce, and asparagus. He tilled up all the rows on the right. Later, we'll plant potatoes in some of those. In the dark row to the front, we transplanted asparagus that was located way in the back, where they weren't getting enough light. That's where the strawberries were too. I moved the raspberries, which were getting too much sun, to the spot where the strawberries were.
Gary and Lee got the septic tanks installed. We have black water going into the one on the right and the effluent from that will lead to the graywater tank on the left. We'll have to make adjustments to our system based on lab results later when they get full enough to have an effluent. Eventually I'd like some ferrocement ponds below the effluent pipe where the water will cascade from one to the next, with plants efficient at nitrate and phosphate uptake, like cattails and other water plants.
Garrison was the lucky one who got to get inside to hold the pipes in place while they leveled and glued or attached (I'm not sure what exactly they were doing to them, but I know they were after a certain angle from one end to the other) from the outside.
Garrison planted strawberries and green onions and I planted yellow onions and lettuce, and asparagus. He tilled up all the rows on the right. Later, we'll plant potatoes in some of those. In the dark row to the front, we transplanted asparagus that was located way in the back, where they weren't getting enough light. That's where the strawberries were too. I moved the raspberries, which were getting too much sun, to the spot where the strawberries were.
Gary and Lee got the septic tanks installed. We have black water going into the one on the right and the effluent from that will lead to the graywater tank on the left. We'll have to make adjustments to our system based on lab results later when they get full enough to have an effluent. Eventually I'd like some ferrocement ponds below the effluent pipe where the water will cascade from one to the next, with plants efficient at nitrate and phosphate uptake, like cattails and other water plants.
Here's a picture from Garrison to demonstrate to all the young boys out there that you should NOT take a screw driver to a full spray-paint can. We're still trying to get the paint out of his hair. 
1 comment:
Looks like some progress on the house with the septic installation! I'm glad you got to dig in the dirt--it's the best therapy for winter blues. I've also noticed earthworms gravitate towards decomposing cardboard.
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