making walkways equals more junk beds

After having the terraced beds on the hillside, for a few years now, we came to realize we are not billy goats and we certainly are not getting any younger and something needed to be done. Today, Measa began work on that project. I happened to look over and notice the piles of soil he was making and quickly decided that I needed to make a couple new junk gardens before they washed down the hill in the rains this afternoon. It just so happens that last week we had another box fan die and I had a couple tires laying around that needed a new home.

I went and fetched the tires while manthing got me a chunk of old rug and a big bag of cans and we got to work. We use the rugs under the junk beds for water retention purposes and to make weed eating around them easier. The old cans are used to fill the edges of the tires so that we do not need quite as much dirt. It is amazing the number of cans that can go into a truck tire. While I was filling the tires with cans the fellers filled me buckets of soil. Within just a few minutes we had 3 new small growing beds made and planted with peppers and parsley.
The walkways and steps for the terraces will take several more days of work and will give me another nice pile or three of soil to make use of. Now I just need to figure out what I will use to make a few more beds with when the time comes.

sunflowers

The first two sunflowers are open. I was going to do a garden update for today but the batteries in the camera are dead. After the inch of rain the other night things are really starting to kick it into high gear. Hopefully this afternoon we will get another rain

monday's mountain musings

Finally got our help down here yesterday after a rather long delay. No matter, as it is someone that has spent a lot of time here already, knows how we roll, is not afraid to work and has some excellent organizational skills so we can make up for lost time. Manthing had today off so we were able to get some more work done on the goat shed. The outside is now completely covered with the first layer and part of the inside is as well. We are running down the homeward stretch on it so soon we will move on to other projects.
We still have had no rain here, so again this weekend, we had to water all of the gardens. As soon we get accustomed and into a pattern of watering them all the rains will start again. Of this, I am near positive. Today I took a big wooden crate type thing and turned it into a potato planter. This one has no soil what so ever and it was the fastest garden we have ever built around here. I threw some seed taters in as an experiment to see how they grow through the summer in a fairly shaded spot. I also chucked in a couple other seeds just to see if they do anything. The gardens are really starting to take off now and there are blossoms everywhere. We are harvesting zucghini, summer squash, a few beans, carrots, onions, herbs and garlic. Within a week or so we should be eating our first tomatoes and cucumbers too.
Today I am dehydrating something more than herbs for the first time this season. I have about 7 pounds of carrots in and as soon as they are dry will have more to go. The carrots have done very well this spring. Maybe it's because of the tomato plants in with them and vice versa. The tomatoes are super healthy too and instead of stalks have tree trunks on them.

silent sunday