Good to Be Working Outside

Every day since Easter Tom and I have been hauling mink manure that we get for free from our good neighbor, Dale, over at Camp One.  We toss it on the field and garden areas, and we hope to finish some time next week.  Dad has said we can use his tractor and plow to turn the ground over.  I really appreciate that as most of the field sections have sodded over and it would take me quite a while to redefine them using just the BCS 722.

I have been working hard adding to the fence around the forest garden.  The picture below shows a fairly long area that faces the front of the house.  I am going to use this part of the fence as a trellis for scarlet runner beans and Grandpa Ott's morning glories.  I think the hummingbirds will approve when they migrate back here around the end of this month.   Thankfully, digging in the fence posts has been relatively easy.

I rounded the worm fence I started last year around the corner where one of last year's compost areas lay, and joined it to the woven fence under the trees.  It is starting to look pretty good. This view from the top of the berm along the road. 

While I like cutting poles for fence posts, Tom says that to save time I can buy some for fixing up the perimeter fence around the field.  We are going to repair the downed posts there, then redefine the individual field sections with the tractor and fence them to help keep out the deer.   I have the wire to do the job but I'm not sure I'll have the time to get it all done.

I bought red maples and white pine trees through the Price County tree sale this year and walked around last week planting them.  I put some of the white pines down by the creek to replace the pine trees that came down there during the tornado.  Tom and I are going to pull those downed trees around and leave them as part of the creek buffer zone.  Remember last year how the does would hide their fawns by those trees while they went to eat?  White pines grow fast so I expect the empty looking areas to fill in quickly.  Most of the red maples I put by the house purely because I love the way they look in the Fall and there isn't much red color in our woods.  If the County offers sugar maples next year I'll buy enough to plant an alle along the hay road.   Eddy and I have also been transplanting little balsams and pines that are growing out of place and adding them to our road screen.  I took a picture but they are a little hard to see so I'll wait for them to grow a bit then try taking another picture for you. 

The little greenhouse is filling up fast with seedlings and I am feverishly starting more seeds in the basement.  Even though the weather is now warmer (it was almost 80°F today) than colder, I won't even think about planting most things outside till after the Feasts of the Three Chilly Saints .   The dandelions blooming are telling me to plant my saved seed potatoes, but I am going to resist temptation.

I could tell you more, but I'm pretty tired and the music of the frogs in the marshes sounds like a lullaby.   Think I'll have some rhubarb pie and hit the sack.  Talk to you soon!