Skip to main content

successes and failures part 1 - the greenhouse



Success - We put up the greenhouse, anchored it down well, put up shad cloth to block the hottest sun, and used metal barrels filled with water and painted black for stability plus heat. So far it is holding up well.

Failure - The irrigation. Hand watering with a hose is not enough to maintain straw baskets. Next spring we need to invest in a modest sprinkler system with a timer. 

Neither - The ventilation. We used a big exhaust fan with an extension cord we just set up and moved when it wasn't necessary. It was a bit too big for the space, plus protecting it from water was a challenge. My grandmother has an old smaller fan built into a garage we plan to try to transfer and set up for next year.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

puppy play date

Yesterday Trilli got to have a puppy play date with her best friend, Oreo, and a new boyfriend, Yeti. Everyone in our group has a dog or two, so socializing them is essential. With several large breeds covered in our pack, they can be a bit much at first. Oreo (the pit bull) is quick like lighting, nudging the others with her nose and batting her paws. Trilli (husky and lab) loves to play but has the biggest mouth, constantly barking. We're working on that. Yeti is a basset hound and great Pyrenees mix, still growing and just beautiful. He got along with the girls wonderfully, outside taking turns pouncing on each of them. It's great to watch a pack of dogs together, it's so natural for them, their own kind; friends.  Hopefully next time I'll remember to bring my camera! Until next time, Angela Kelly

raising rabbits: newborns in a wind storm

bunbuns love lettuces :)  We had eighteen baby rabbits last week, the first litters of the year. We also had a super wind storm the very day after they were born, which knocked the hutch over, and nearly scared me to death. We were in town and had to rush the hour home to check on them, and amazingly enough, they all survived. We shuffled them around, moved two moms with babies inside the house, secured the rest, prepared for the storm. We made it through okay. It's been almost a week now, and they are starting to get their fur and move around a lot, so we will be moving them back outside very soon. It has been pretty cool having them so close, keeping an eye on them all the time, watching them grow. Raising rabbits is always an adventure, and we are learning more every day. I sure am enjoying the process, though. the new mommy eating some lettuce newborns more babies - they look like little aliens the rabbits at sunset Until next time, Angela Kelly...

the good, the bad, and the embarrassing

Our first week and a half on the farm have not been uneventful by any means. In fact, tonight on the ride home I said to the Universe (or more accurately Jonathan, since that's who heard me) "thanks for all the tests you've been throwing at us lately, but that's enough for now, please?" We expected some hard times and lots of hard work, but we weren't ready for random mishaps and accidents that would set us back so soon in the change. Bad things that have happened since we arrived: Jonathan gets a tick and the head is stuck in his back. It's been a week now and I think it's all worked out, but I was really scared. We get locked out of the Jeep, and it's $120 for a locksmith to come unlock it. We have snatched Zaphod (our kitty) off of upstairs windowsills about five times. I smacked myself in the forehead with a knife (apparently I missed the day in class when they tought you basic knife-holding skills.) It was just a little cut, mainly my ego ...