Now that the weather is starting to warm up, we are making a garden. Anyone who has tried to grow food in a former hayfield knows just how tough the grass roots are. We hired someone with a tractor to break the top layer. Then we turned the soil with a rotor tiller that Lesa’s dad gave us. Tilling revealed a lot of rocks and root clumps that we had to remove by hand. There is something satisfying about crawling on the ground and throwing rocks toward a target (a tarp spread out) while taking care not to hit someone. It’s about time to plant the seeds we’ve been collecting!
The blueberry plants are growing near the 10′ x 16′ shed that I’m converting into a tiny cabin for my overnight stays. My eldest grandson is helping me install some extra windows and get a nice cross breeze going.
We now have a rather rickety outhouse on site for taking care of bodily urgencies in private.
Some beautiful natural plants are showing up. Since we have a limited knowledge of “weeds,” we have someone coming next week to do a walkabout on the land and help us identify plants. I’ve got a pack of wooden tongue depressors to write the name on and place as markers next to the plants we can use for food or medicine. Such fun to learn as we go.
It is so good to have my son and his family living on the land with us. He has built storage for tools and those living on the land now have a way to wash and dry clothes. My son is building a below-grade greenhouse where we can start seeds and house our solar utilities and water storage to supply the acreage on the upper ridge. We are still deciding how best to pump water from the creek and springhouse at the bottom of the hill up a 700-foot incline using solar power.
Lots going on at the moment and we are having fun.