By Andrew Haupt
The projects continue, and it’s still damn hot.
The Garden
All the squash I planted outside the garden except one has been eaten at this point, even with cages around them. I’ve also discovered evidence of gophers in the meadow garden, which is concerning... The squash inside the garden has been bushing out like crazy though, and the corn is above head high now, and starting to form tassels. The potatoes have suffered in the heat and the row of Carolas have all fallen over, even after we spent a couple days piling soil and compost around them. We’ve harvested some, and there’s a decent amount formed, but many are small. Cory and Jess came up and Cory helped prune the tomatoes correctly -- they look way better now and I think they’ll respond really well to the pruning. We harvested a few cucumbers this week, which is exciting.
I built a new tall raised bed in the kitchen garden with the thought of planting perennial herbs and scarlet runner beans along the edge, higher up to deter animals. Of course the dogs promptly destroyed it digging for fish bones that I buried in it...
The Bathroom
Spent nearly a whole week demoing the bathroom upstairs, which was a major pain. With the help of some friends we finally were able to lug the heavy cast iron tub up the stairs this weekend. Now onto the plumbing... I’m looking forward to this project being done.
The Tiny House Build
We officially started work clearing a section that we plan to build a tiny house on. It’s got a bunch of poison oak and brush and dead oaks around it so clearing is going to be a challenge.
Growing Mushrooms
Started clearing an area near the pond that I plan to grow mushrooms on.
The Rest
Manzanita berries are ready, so I collected a gallon from around the property, and dried them this week. Planning to make cider soon. Cathryn Henning also taught a cheesemaking class yesterday, which went really well and was a lot of fun. It was the first class we’ve completely sold out.
