FYI, I am going to drop the whole “Day X” part of the subject simply because I’d rather not clutter up the title, and so I won’t have to do any math. Especially since so many of my projects will be starting at different times that it would become confusing.

In any event, I visited my friend Wendy Brown (who wrote a couple of awesome books, Surviving the Apocalypse in the Suburbs and Browsing Nature’s Aisles with her husband Eric Brown) on Monday. We spent a great afternoon talking about family, learning, and gardening. We went in the backyard and I met her chickens, ducks, and rabbit friends, along with all her green friends. She also generously gave us some Jerusalem artichokes, aka sunchokes – an indigenous Maine plant, from her 40 lbs  harvest.

Here are some of the edible tubers (with a quarter for size):

You can cook them like potatoes (fried, sautéed, or mashed) and they have a nutty flavor. We’re gonna cook some up and plant the rest. They are quite prolific and will be a great addition to the apple guild.

Next, after chatting with Tasha of Tasha’s Veggies, we discussed doing a work share for this season for yummy veggies and more learning. While talking about my “leggy” greens, she suggested getting kelp to help my little seedlings get the nutrients they need. Serendipitously, in the sustainability group we are a part of, OTFS, Nancy shared some permaculture videos and one was about leggy seedlings. So the solution:

TIN FOIL! (plus kelp) Now, my plants will received multi-directional light, which will help with making the stalks stronger as well as match the tin foil hat I made to protect me from aliens trying to destroy my seedlings. 😉

This afternoon, I decided to start working outside (yes, a computer-guy going out to play in the dirt). First up, I put some of the donated Russet potatoes (the ones with the spiking shoots and squishy bodies) into the garden under some hay. Thanks, Aunt Peg!

I spent the rest of the afternoon making a hugelkultur bed. Q was taking care of one of the spruces in Aunt Peg’s yard and I used the trunk and some of the branches to make a 12-foot long bed:

Starcat took some pictures of the process and a snapshot pose of me taking a break:

I then moved 2 trailers of dirt (from nearby piles) and filled in about half of it. This is the in-process shot:

Next steps, re-wet the inside of the bed, add the rest of the dirt and then sheet mulching and planting!

Get kelp for the seedlings and the hugulbed too.

Plus sheet mulching around the apple trees so I can put in those Jerusalem Artichokes for the apple guilds. They spread quite a bit, so I will go sparingly at first. They are quite prolific.

If you have any questions or comments, please share below! And thanks!

P.S. Some of the spinach and cumin seedlings have made their appearance under the lights. Yay!

P.P.S. No hydrometer readings in the data I guess.

+=======================+

Fair
52°F
11°C
Humidity: NA
Wind Speed: NW 20 G 35 mph
Barometer: 29.74 in
Dewpoint: NA
Visibility: 10.00 mi
Wind Chill:46°F (8°C)
Last Update on 24 Apr 5:55 pm EDT

+========================+