Fence, raspberries and potatoes

After some delay, we finally got the new fence installed in the back yard. This has meant we can move ahead with some of the next steps in developing the garden.

The fence also does a good job of closing in the yard. While we were waiting, the potatoes really started to jump up!

The north potato bed needs some work after the autumn's digging. Our first step was to dig out the raspberry suckers that were invading it.

These got replanted on the outside of the new fence (about 70 feet of them). I have also reserved some space for some haskap berries. 

Jess and Jenn did most of the planting while I dug suckers and quarterbacked.

Inside the yard, the beans have come up nicely. We also planted a later crop of carrots and some butternut squash. I spent some time taming the mess that had developed beneath the apple tree in the yard.

The was have also jumped up! Almost two feet high on the south-facing wall of the garage. I'm hopeful for a goo crop this year.

Our next steps include burning down a bunch of hedge clippings to open up access to the north fence line. This needs some serious weeding and then more raspberry suckers can be transplanted (I really like raspberries).

Apple blossoms and hedge stumps

The apple trees continue to blossom despite a late frost on the long weekend.

Meanwhile, we spent more than a week removing stumps from the hedge we cut down. This was a very difficult job.

Good thing the wife is super strong! The last stump we removed with the size of a toddler. I've now smoothed out the ground in the expectation that our fence will arrive this week. 

We've been cleaning out the freezer and I found a pail of raspberries from last year, so I made jam.

The potatoes are up and being hoed back under. We've also got spinach, radishes and lettuce up. And maybe the early carrots. Last weekend, Jess planted two types of bush beans, beets, and zucchini. We also put in the rest of the tomatoes and peppers starts.

Some friends gifted us lots of basil that they'd grown we that went into the sunny bed.

It is encouraging to see the oregano come back so strongly this year after a rough transplant last fall.

We've also got the tulips in bloom. Hopefully we can get out on the river today for a float.

 I still have one bed ready for some seeds. Maybe some more carrots.

Fence prep and irrigation experiments

This weekend, we all spent both days labouring the yard. With temperatures in the mid-20s, it was a great time to work outside.

Our major task was to remove the hedge on the south property line in anticipation of the fencing company arriving Monday morning to start the last stage of the garage renovation project from last year. We'd hoped to have everything done last fall, but construction dragged on until snow fall.

The hedge was alpine currant and ran 60 feet. It was up to six feet thick and five feet high. I started on Wednesday night to prune out sections and managed to spasm something in my back. Fortunately, there were reinforcements available. Saturday, Jenn and Jess removed most of the hedge while I hauled the branches behind the garage to dry out (we'll burn them over the summer).

Everyone was exhausted as the was a huge project. Sunday, I was back in the game and we managed to removed the strangler pieces and chop the stumps back to ground level. This very much opens up the yard!

On Monday, the fencing company arrived and set the metal poles. These will get capped with square white "posts" and the white vinyl panels will then get set in place. Today's torrential rain (with snow tonight!) has pushed that back. There was also some hand waggling about suppliers and availability. Once the new fence is up, we'll be planting raspberries and other fruit bushes on the outside of the fence, which means we need to fiddle about getting the stumps out.

I did some weeding Saturday and the Saskatoons were in full bloom.

I've been experimenting with new watering techniques. This bed is big enough that I can basically water in the valleys with a five-gallon pail filled from the water barrel behind it. I will see if I can find a hose to attach to the barrel, which would be even better.

I've also arrange the eight potatoes beds so they can be watered by bucket. There is a slight slope and a light raised edge to each bed so the water flows into the the low spots and sinks in.

While weeding, I found a $5 bill in the dirt. My assertions that weeding paid, we greeted by hoots of derision and the suggestion atet I'd just found my own $5 that fell out of my pocket last year. Which is probably true. Washed up okay, though. 

I will be short handed this year as Jess goes off to forest ranger camp in High Level for the summer. We've been slowly collecting her gear and do some basic strength and endurance training.

The snow has me a bit worried for the blossoms. Lots of apple trees are flowering. I'm hopeful the temperature does not drop too low.

I plan to put in the rest of the flowers plus some herbs and tomatoes and peppers this coming weekend. And also plant some peanuts and some second sowings of onions, carrots, beets and maybe beans and sunflowers.

Rhubarb, bulbs, bees, and onions

We've been working pretty hard in the yard weeding. It feels like we're starting to get a handling on creeping bell flower as well as the crab grass. I guess we'll see now that we've had some rain and a bit of sun! All of the disruption from the garage build has made its easier to get the roots out as the plants pop up.

The rhubarb came back out front, despite Epcor's best efforts to directional drill it into oblivion. Looks like five plants survived, which is lots.

The bees are also back, having a go at the early bulbs.

The back lawn is still slow growing (but the seed had germinated). We managed to have a fire on the part of the lawn where the grass is okay. Looking forward to getting a proper fire patio installed later this summer.

Around the side, the perennials are coming back, with both wild onion and mint up.

The peas are also coming up in the raised beds. I'm not too sure of the soil quality here but we'll see.

A few weeks back, I finally bought new garden tools from Apache Seeds. Our old collection (some 20 years old) has finally started to fail. Great tools, but the shovel is heavy duty (15 pounds!). Should last a long time.

It rained a fair bit the past few days so I got some time to organize the garage and get some stuff up off the floor. Jess than planted some pansy seeds in the bucket by the door and we put a package of California poppies in our bed at the community league.

 I'm hopeful it will be warm enough that we can put some of our bedding plants in this week. 

Potatoes, water barrel and new sidewalk

Temperatures are still a bit cool at night, so we have been using the lull to finish some more projects. School has moved home for another two weeks so Jess and I used lunch breaks to make a new stand and install the second rain barrel on the garage. The fence company sent a utility marker around, so I'm hopeful we'll see a fence soon.

The front bed was warm enough to loosen the soil so we planted this week. Mostly carrots, but also some chard, radishes, and lettuce. Jess also put in some onions and potatoes and strawberries down the south side. I think we'll move the raspberries out the front when the fence is installed and put them up against it on the south side. This should make more room for veggies. Oh, and I put in some asparagus crowns around back.

The seed potatoes were pretty leggy under the stairs so they went in. Jess planted 70 plants all told. Which is a lot of digging. I use the time to start some heavier soil moving on the north side of the garage. This is necessary to fix the drainage and also as preparation to repairing the north fence.

We also put aside three beds for some later planting of more delicate veggies. I haven't worked out the square footage of the new gardens but I'd say we're around 1000 square feet.

It is so helpful to be able to just give Jess a list of tasks and say "pick three" and then she just goes and does them (strawberry planting in the picture below) with only the occasionally question ("You bought too many strawberries--what should I do with the extra?").

I use the extra time Sunday to clean out a messy bit beside the house and lay a new walkway that connects to the brick spillway along the south side. Pretty good for free handing it and reusing bricks and left over winter sand. Still need to go clean up the dirt here to make it look more presentable.

We also laid some stepping stones out towards the back alley today. This week we'll set those a bit better and also clean up the canoe with an eye to selling it. I also need to go up the ladder with some sheet metal screws and fiddle with the eaves.

Garlic and some backyard renos

Spring is here and the garlic is up (along with the chives and few early tulips). 

We've spent the past three weeks working on sorting out the back yard. I built a third garden box out of some scrap lumber and we levelled out the section that will be lawn and a fire area. This involved humping a lot of dirt (two dump truck full in the end). This weekend, we seeded it and Jess is watering. Some in ground garden beds are visible toward the fence.

I also put the bird house back up.

This pano shot shows the back yard as it was yesterday. Garden on the left. Lawn in front. Then more garden on the right. Work has been slowed by periodic snow. This as a lot of work with a wheel barrow! We also got peas and onions planted in the wooden boxes.

Today we did some lighter work. We created a stepped set of beds in front (just moving some rocks around) for herbs. You can see Jess working behind the wheel barrow.

These turned out well. I also used a fork to loosen the soil in the front beds. I did about 60% before I got too tired! Maybe tomorrow. I hope to get some easy seeds in this week. 

 I'd also like to get some asparagus crowns for a bed in the back. Now I'm going to go have a nap.

New garden boxes

So, when we last left out heroes, snow was falling and the long-day garage build was finished. Over the winter, we had some solar panels installed on the garage (by Dandelion Renewables) and that was a very slick experience--would totally recommend them.

An early melt shows just how much there is left to do, including a fence, regrading, installing some garden boxes, and laying some brick for a fire pit. We decided to start with the garden boxes since we could build those in the garage.

Years of patience and small projects means that Jess can now pretty much handle things by herself. I'm still a bit too nervous to give her a skill saw, but she did all of the rest as we built a 12x3' bed. Hand-sawing also teaches important skills.

The box is very heavy so I'm also glad she's big enough to carry her end. I can move it by myself (barely) but it was easier to have someone on the other end! You can see the solar inverter on the wall in the photo below.

Before we moved it into place, I installed gutter guards on the eaves of the garage to prevent the usual elm seed nightmare. I intend to install these on the house this summer.

We also intended to put pea trellises on the back of the beds, so we made some backets to hold these in place. There is a screw at the bottom vertical post (hidden by angle) that holds it at the correct depth.

We then dropped everything in place on the south side of the garage. It clearly needs levelling but we struggled with the soil being too frozen to dig and then suddenly being too mucky to walk on.

This morning I went out and managed to get everything levelled. I still need to sort the rain barrel (requires seating the stand, cutting the spout, etc) but you get the idea. A five-foot fence will enclose this areas.

Jess and I built a second bed for the west side of the garage (below) and hauled it roughly into place. It needs levelling and whatnot. I also fixed two trellises that broke over the winter. Now, I am sitting down.

There is still lots to do in the yard before we order some dirt for the boxes and the bed bed that will occupy the area on the right side of the sidewalk. But things need to dry out some (and thaw in other places) first.

In the meantime, I'm tackling the usual raking and tidying tasks. I was out raking yesterday and I see the chives are up on the south side of the house.