Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Update on the Debate, the Market and the Farm



We have been talking about the raised beds that we are putting in around the greenhouse and garden. One thing (the cold) and another (life) it has been going very slow. Yesterday we finally made some headway. Here are some pics. In the 1st, you can see the greenhouse that we constructed from an arbor that was already here. Polycarbonate was used for the walls.

We are using used Motorcycle shipping pallets to form the beds. We rescue them from the dealer in Washington. They will be painted green. The fabric that you see hanging out is an old tent that we are using under the concrete blocks that lift the bed. The tent was in some stuff from an auction. It will keep the Bermuda grass out, but doesn't have direct contact w/the soil bed. We have a terrible time w/Bermuda grass here. It even grows between the walls of the greenhouse. The cloth is laid on the grass, concrete blocks are put on top of it. then hardware cloth for drainage and cardboard to hold the soil in until the roots form. You can see the plug trays on the side. They are broken ones that we have been using for years. I got them when I worked for Kaiser Hill Farm in New Haven 6years ago. They are to keep the filler from falling through the cracks until it settles. The bed is back filled w/the rotted pig manure/sawdust that we spoke of in a previous post. This will be mixed w/the Dyna Mix, an organic bed filler that we use. This side is the East , we hope to run the beds, clockwise around the back of the greenhouse to the west side which is unbroken for the full 24 feet of the structure. The North end and the remaining east side space will not be used because the walkway and water hydrant. Perennials and bulbs for cut flowers will be set in these beds. This will allow easier accessibility for working and insulation to make the greenhouse more efficient.

So Saturday's Market was a little slow. Partly because of the parade and some because I think people are ready for some new veggies and at this point it's Mostly "green's green's green's" as Molly Rockamann would say and canned goods. We're all sick of the winter and ready for some VARIETY! Don't give up on us now, there are new items coming on all the time.


Now the big Debate has been settled. After many suggestions,(mostly to do w/the Dahlai Lama) my hubby and I have come to a meeting of minds on the name of the new llama. As you all know, every animal that has a job on the farm is named after a flower or plant. Willow was the top contender, but Billy was deadly against it on the logical point that it sounded "too woody". So last night I finally came up with....Gypsy for Gypsophilia which is the Latin name for baby's breath. Now I admit that she doesn't look like baby's breath, but she does look like a Gypsy. And there you have it.

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