Planter Boxes

I bought some 2"x10"x14' planks of cedar from a local lumber distributor to make some planter beds for the greenhouse.

I bolted the planks to some 4x4s to make a basic frame.

I attached 1/2" hardware cloth to the bottom of the planter boxes. This should keep out moles and voles. I took dirt from our property and mixed it with a few different fertilizers (including some "worm tea" given to me by my boss) and added the mixture to the beds.

What's that smell?

We have been having a problem with a skunk sneaking under our house. There is a little opening right next to my bedroom window and the skunks love to hang out there when it is cold and wet out. I tried putting boards and rocks in front but he kept getting in. Things finally came to a head when he must of sprayed. Even though I was protected by several inches of wood flooring, the smell was so bad I could barely sleep. I almost got sent home from work that day!
So we pulled out the Have-a-Heart trap and set it up, under the house, with a can of yummy cat food.

Here he is; trapped!

We drove him up to the far side of the lake and released him, far from any other homes. I made sure to properly board up the opening as well.

Spring is here and you know what that means...

Spring Wildflowers!

They grow in the most interesting places

Spring is also the time for grafting. "What is grafting?" you ask? Grafting is the practice of taking a limb from a tree that is just about to bud for spring (called scion wood) and attaching it to another tree. The benefit of this is you can have the strong, healthy, and well adjusted root stock of a native plant grow the fruit you prefer. It can also be used for ornamental reasons. The limitation is that you need tree species that are closely enough related for the graft to take. I have chosen to work with the genus Prunus. Prunus is the genus that contains peaches, nectarines, plums, cherries, almonds and a few other common edibles. I am using chokecherry for my root-stock (which you may remember from my post on jam).

Here is the large thicket of Western Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana demissa) that is growing too close to our deck. I have already lopped off the top part of the trunks nearest to the deck; which I decided to use for some of my grafts. Because of the way that chokecherry grows there is a good chance that the roots are connected so the stumps will still receive nutrients.

To preform a cleft graft I start by cutting a groove into the stump.

I take my scion wood; (in this case: a plum branch), and cut the bottom so it is thin and the inner cambium is exposed.

I wedge in a branch on each side of the cleft in the stump

I then bind the stump to apply pressure to the cambium. I also cover the area with wax to prevent against infection.

Redneck Recycling

Since we live far enough away from the city we have our own special exceptions to county and state laws; I don't have to pay for a smog inspection! The reasoning being that we live in an area where the trees greatly outnumber the people. The carbon given off by my vehicle's emission are quickly reabsorbed into the environment. Another exception we get is that we don't have to wait for designated "burn days". Many people in the Rogue Valley do their own yard work and burn the brush piles, but they have to wait for the county to announce a burn day. With all the work we do around here it is very convenient to burn our paper rubbish and plant debris whenever we want. Like the smog inspection, all of the smoke and ash produced is quickly broken down and reabsorbed by the plants on our property.

Our burn setup: a barrel with a wire net wedged near the bottom and holes drilled into it for ventilation, a top for the barrel to control airflow and prevent embers from escaping, and a metal rod to stir the ash.

Our barrel in action.

White Winter Wonderland

The sign to our road covered in snow

Fire pit at a camping spot covered in snow

Madrone tree covered in snow

Douglas fir covered in snow

The surrounding hills covered in snow

The greenhouse covered in snow

Chicken wire covered in snow

Corn husks covered in snow

The one lane bridge, (you guessed it!) covered in snow

Lichens growing on a dormant oak tree offer some much needed color contrast

I never noticed how bright the red berries of the Madrone tree are

Green, White, Blue

Animal tracks in the snow.

Star Gulch Creek (the creek our farm is named after)

I've never had a White Christmas before

The view from my house

Real Christmas trees

Star Gulch Road

Look at all the mistletoe!