The black currants are in full bloom, raspberries are coming up again as well.
I haven’t had any luck with the raspberries. The canes have come on really well for the last two years but have produced no fruit. I guess more research is in order.
We picked up an apple tree and a peach tree, seriously considering going back and getting a plum tree.
Got a trailer load of wood chips, I’ll put down a layer of cardboard and cover with around six inches of wood chips.
The apple, peach and now plum trees are all neatly tucked in and starting to show signs of life. The honeycrisp apple tree is by far the most active with leaves showing up. The other two have green in the branches so I’m hopeful.
Onions are coming along nicely, as are the strawberries, so much more to get planted. There are still a considerable number of containers to fill, and a couple of raised beds to finish building that were started last season.
Compost bins are filled nearly to the top, and the main bin will get turned over in about another month. I used some homemade compost as filler for the pots that have an assortment of peppers started in them. After they get a little bigger, I’ll try to separate them.
We picked up some Jerusalem artichokes, I find them tasty and have been reading they spread easily and are hard to maintain in a given area. This is what we want. The more food we can produce, the more independent we can be. I am once again under the weather. it seems the school is the perfect breeding grounds for a whole host of illnesses.
In any event almost everyone here fell ill but we’ve seen the worst of it, I hope.
I’m working on the solar power setup again. Our last electric bill was quite a bit higher than expected since we keep cutting back on it. I was told it was because their cost of materials had risen, the conversation almost turned hostile when I told them I would be converting things to run from my solar panels. I was told I would need to discuss that with corporate, I told them that since it wasn’t grid tied that I wouldn’t be talking to anyone about it or what I am doing.
I will convert one system or perhaps one room at a time, at least as much as I can. With our current lifestyle, I can’t likely just cut the cord, though I would like to. I had what I thought was a decent charge controller, but it stopped working before I could get serious with it. So, for now, I’m just charging batteries with a cheap eBay controller and a 100-watt panel to run my 12v GMG grill.
Thank you for stopping by.
Slocum's Creak 