Where do we grow from here? …
Posted by Sarah - 29/07/06 at 08:07:17 pm
With logging, stumping, and grading complete, it’s time to consider how we want to lay out our planting areas for next year. For now, we’ll adjust the soil pH and put down a cover crop to preserve the rich topsoil we have, and consider what we want to grow. Of course, we’ve already done a lot of daydreaming about the types of plants we’d like to put in: more ornamental shrubs and flowers around the house, lots of interesting and tasty vegetables of all types, some berries, and perhaps some saplings that would replace some of the trees we removed and also give us something to eat, either maple syrup or walnuts.
That type of daydreaming is useful and fun, but the next step is a little more difficult: where do we put what? Some of the decisions are already made for us. We didn’t stump the area to the left of the driveway (as you look out from our front porch), so that will remain a wild meadow. We’ll throw down grass and let that compete with the ferns and other naturally occurring plants while keeping an eye out for saplings that might threaten to crowd the driveway again. I’ve dubbed this the “hippie garden,” a place where we can experiment with whimsical features like a gazing ball, yard art, or even a small pond. We might also use it for an area to put our chicken house, if or when we get to that stage.
To the right of the driveway is the much larger expanse of land that runs from the house to the cabin, with a second “field” further off to the right of the house. This second field was an unexpected but welcome outcome from having the area stumped and graded by our contractor, Bob, who really is “an artist with a bulldozer”, as our forester dubbed him. Bob opened up level, firm, rich soil in an area that I, for one, assumed would be too sloping and rocky to be usable. Turns out it was just a big pile of dirt waiting to be smoothed flat. We might use part of this space for a greenhouse or two, but there will be more room for planting as well.
Still a third area that we need to address is the steep slope directly in front of the house. Currently there are some wild blackberries growing there, along with some sumac and various other native…well, weeds. At first, I was trying to convince Rick that we should dig up the weeds and keep the berries, but after getting snagged in their sharp thorns while harvesting the small, somewhat bitter fruits I think it would be better to tear out all the plants and start fresh, either with a variety of cultivated berry with a better taste, or with an low-growing ornamental evergreen like juniper that wouldn’t get out of hand and crowd our amazing view.
Needless to say, we have some ideas but we’re not quite sure how to proceed. Where do we plant the various crops? How large of a vegetable patch should we carve out the first year? Where will the berries go? Do we have a good spot to grow our own hops? (We both have a keen interest in home-brewing.) Luckily, between Rick’s contacts that he’s developed through the Vermont Master Gardeners, our neighbors who have been gardening on a large scale here for over twenty years, and the knowledge we already have from other gardens, we have some good resources to tap into. It just may take a while before we really learn the quirks of our land and this new growing climate.
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Whirlwind Washington Weekend …
Posted by Rick - 26/07/06 at 09:07:54 amBecause apparently we are masochists, we decided to do our most recent return to DC in the middle of summer. While we were there we squeezed in a ton of visiting with old friends. Below is the abbreviated version because I am still too tired to construct a narrative, and figured it was better to write something while it was fresh in my mind. It was a great trip, and we are so glad we got to see so many dear friends, but we were also reminded that we made the right decision to leave. We brought our camera, but neglected to have it with us most of the time, so hopefully I can add someone else’s photo later.
Continue reading ‘Whirlwind Washington Weekend …’
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Stump the Chumps …
Posted by Rick - 18/07/06 at 08:07:23 am
Months of rain delayed this part of the clearing project, but now Bob Osgood is on site to stump the lower field. Bob will push over the stumps in the north field, rake the debris, and then bury what he can around the perimeter of the cleared space. The southern field was cleared mostly to get sun on the driveway and therefore keep it from freezing up in the winter—in addition to helping to open the view—but Bob will rake the debris on that side and get it ready for field grasses. We don’t have any plans to plant anything on that side; however, we may see if any of our neighbors want to graze their sheep on that side and save us from having to mow it.
While it isn’t necessarily as exciting as the logging part of the project, if you are interested, you can watch the excavation on the webcam.
If you have sheep you want to graze in our field next Spring, contact us.
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Summer Update …
Posted by Rick - 10/07/06 at 05:07:37 pm
Summertime in Vermont is beautiful. Unlike the summers we were accustomed to in DC, summers in Vermont are less about eye-melting, oppressive heat and more about breezy warm days and cool evenings. Porch settings here are much more enjoyable than the times we spent being devoured by mosquitos on our porch in Silver Spring. The blood-suckers are still out to bug us, but they don’t seem to stay out once the temperature drops. Lately we have spent more time around our new fire pit roasting s’mores than on the porch. The exception being when our dear friends Ann and Jack visited, and we sat on the porch to watch fireworks. More accurately, we sat and listened to various neighbors shoot off their favorite fire arms with the occasional rocket’s red glare to light up the night.
While Ann and Jack were in town we also got to visit the farm we chose as our CSA. Four Springs Farm was hosting their first annual Firefly Festival. Jinny invited folks over to the farm for a potluck dinner and an evening of music and fireflies. We got to wander around the farm and see the fields that are currently growing the vegetables we will be eating all summer. We brought blankets and sat around eating yummy food including ice cream from Strafford Creamery. After dinner we listened to some live music before heading home to sit on the porch and chat. It was a nice visit and we look forward to seeing them again soon!
This past weekend was also filled with fun summer visiting activites. On Friday we went over to our friends Jill and Wayne’s for an evening of grilling and hanging out. Saturday night we went up to Barre for Meredith and Adam’s ice cream social. Our hosts fed us yummy pizza and went all out with make-your-own ice cream sundaes! I nearly made myself sick with lots of ice cream, hot fudge, caramel and jimmies, but it was worth it.
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