More Projects

Anyone need a gourd birdhouse?  You probably already have one.....if not just ask.  I grew these gourds last year....they dried half way on the vine and the remainder of the time in our garage.  They took all winter to dry because it is so damp here.  I remember growing these as a kid (in Texas) and they only took about a month on the vine to fully dry out.  I used a hole saw drill bit and drilled out the "front door."  I plan to slightly sand with steel wool and paint.  I purchased red, white, and blue spray paint just today.  I hope to tackle this project next weekend.  If you respond soon I can paint to your likings. 

If you have been to our home,  then you know that Marie and I compost everything possible.  We have never had a bin and I can't tell you why?  So to empty our inside ceramic crock you have to walk down to the woods and pitch the scraps onto the forest floor.  Not anymore.......Here is how it was done.

Daryl has a rental house that the fence was missing a section and was rotting.  He was having it replaced this week.  I know not all the boards were unuseable so I took about 18 boards home.  I cut both ends of the boards that had rot.  (Left pile is uncut).

After I cut off the end rot.....I ran the boards through my planer.  I love this machine...it just takes off a little material at a time.  The boards are smooth now.  I didn't want them to look like they came out of the lumber yard....so I left a little stain for a weathered look.  I also found some treated 4"x4" posts that were in great shape.  Oh, the boards are cedar.

With the left over cedar fencing and posts I made another raised garden bed.  Basically is 10 feet by 3 feet.  I got another cubic yard of top soil from our local landscape company. All sorts of goodies  make up this mixture.  I think this bed will be all tomatoes.  I was planning on only have 1 slicing tomato and 1 cherry tomato....but my mind has changed!

Here is an update on our indoor greenhouse.  If you can't read my chicken scratch I will type it out for you. Starting left, 3 rows of carrot, 1 row of beet, 1 row of snap pea, 3 rows of onion, and the last 2 rows are chili pepper (they were a mix so I don't know whats going to sprout?).  I had to remove the cover because the snap peas were shooting so fast.  Hopefully I can get them in the ground this weekend.  Since the last post I planted yellow corn, slicing cucumbers and heirloom tomatoes.  Lets hope they sprout soon.  The lettuces are sprouting outside and 1 sunflower just poked though today.

The hops are looking great today!  The Chinooks are on the right side.  Cascades are the other variety...if you forgot.


Stay tuned for next weekend!!!