PERMACULTURE
SPRINGING INTO ACTION
Yesterday was my first day back in action after my wisdom teeth were removed. The teeth were taken out on Monday and yesterday was Wednesday, so I don’t consider that too bad of a recovery time. Praise God for His healing power!
Anyway, Brenda and I had a boatload of things to do in the forest garden at The Vicarage yesterday. It involved two trips to Tractor Supply for: a chick tub (the chicks arrive on Friday), shavings for the chick tub, some waterless dog shampoo and two apple trees.
Then it was off to Walmart for: small tomato stakes, toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning supplies, dog food and household items. We are finishing our stock up for the tariff troubles.
When we got home Brenda made lunch while I brought the supplies into the house. After lunch before going back to Tractor Supply to get the apple trees ( they wouldn’t fit on the first run), I staked up our baby tomatoes.
after bringing the apple trees home, Brenda and I got to work on the raised beds. I went to Belletetes hardware to pick up a grommet maker for our bed covers and some screws to hold it in place.
While Brenda worked on the grommets. I planted one of the apple trees and fed the chickens.
We got one bed half done and the covers cut for all the raised beds before we began to run out of steam and light. It was a good day!
MINISTRY AND PERMACULTURE
EARTH CARE, PEOPLE CARE AND FAIR SHARE
THE FOREST GARDEN IN FREE FALL
We are falling quickly into autumn here in northern Massachusetts. The evenings get down into the 40s, but the days are still in the 70s. It’s that time of year when I fight with myself about whether or not to put on the heat at night. So far my frugal self is winning.
This morning I admit, I turned on one of the mobile heaters in the living room just until I didn’t need to wear a blanket in the house.
Today is my Sabbath so I have been trying to be mindful all day about my prayer time and about taking in the beauty of my surroundings.
The gardens are still full of beautiful fall flowers, like this stand of Maximillian sunflowers.
The nasturtiums are in flower. I have been adding the leaves and flowers to our salads these last few weeks.
The Japanese knotweed is absolutely beautiful right now too.
This St. John’s Wort is letting us know he is ready for what is to come.
The white and purple asters have been remarkable this year.
These tiny rose hips are already attracting the wild birds around the area. We are sure to be loaded with cardinals and bluejays this year through the winter. I hope we can get some good footage from Kristine’s camera.
While my daughter is not a fan of the goldenrod I love the brightness it brings to the season.
Today was not a big work in the yard day. I have been sitting out for my prayer sessions, but most of the day I have been in doing paperwork. Last week was yard work week. I got a lot of mint harvested and hung to dry.
I also mowed the whole yard…except the forest path. That I am afraid is looking pretty unkempt just now.
But Kristine got the chicken paddock moved. The chickens love it!
Well, all except for Partly Sunny. She escaped this morning through a hole in the fencing. We found her hiding in the bushes just behind the paddock. She complained when we put her back in the chicken yard, but I just checked on her and she seems resigned to her fate…at least for now. Kristine moved some of the fencing to deal with the hole and I am going layer some field stone around the bottom edges of the paddock to shore it up. All in all we are doing pretty well getting ready for winter.
WHAT DOES YOUR WORLD LOOK LIKE THIS FALL? OR IF YOU ARE IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE WHAT DOES YOUR SPRING LOOK LIKE?
OF RABBITS AND CHICKEN PADDOCKS
CLICK THE LINK BELOW THE PICTURE TO GO TO THE VICARAGE YOUTUBE PAGE. SORRY THE VIDEO DIDN’T POST. YOUTUBE IS BEING WONKY TODAY.
MINT AND MAINTENANCE AT THE VICARAGE
The temperatures here in North Central Massachusetts have gotten unseasonably cool. From what I have read the next few weeks are going to be more like late October or early November than early September. We are definitely into the Brrrr months.
The gardens are slowing down and it is time to begin thinking about bringing in the last of the harvest and to get ready for the winter in a big way. I feel like all my fall projects are being put on the fast conveyor belt. The issue is basic maintenance here at the Vicarage seems to be taking more and more time. Mowing the lawn, walking the dogs, caring for the chickens, laundry, dishes, cooking. The kids are helping a lot, but I think I am still saying yes to too many things. I still haven’t figured out that perfect rhythm. Maybe I never will. Of course it could also just be that the whole family (except for me and Joe) have had COVID for the last week. We have been down two adults to help with the work. I think I am definitely feeling that extra burden.
Anyway, whatever may be causing my autumn angst doesn’t change the fact that time has to be made to bring in the fall plants. It is time to start drying the herbs for winter. I have a huge mint harvest to hang and then I have to start moving plants from the front gardens to other locations for the Spring. I have giant hosts, and daffodils and some irises to move.
Before all that though…the mint. Here is a video on how I am going about the process of drying.
I didn’t get all the mint harvested the other day. So I am back at it today.
DO YOU HAVE A LIST OF FALL PROJECTS?
THE FOREST HEADING TOWARDS FALL
We have had a bit of dismal weather at The Vicarage over the last several days. The raindrops interspersed around ministry have made it a bit difficult to accomplish some of the tasks I had set for myself this week.
I still haven’t finished chopping down the brush around the chicken paddock.
It’s about half done. Maybe I’ll get it finished today so we can start building the actual paddock.
The forest creatures have not been deterred in the slightest by the weather.
If their appetites are any indication it will be an early fall.
I wrote YESTERDAY about how the sense of impending fall is giving me an urgency about the chicken projects. That, and the fact that two of the chickens have made inroads into escaping from the playpen is giving me a bit of agita. I came home from CVS this morning to find that Squash and Eggplant were sitting on top pf the netting.
The garden is still blooming though.
The cone floors are also in full bloom.
A sure sign of fall is that the Japanese Knotweed is flowering too.
Some of these stalks are ten feet tall.
And this year I have a giant patch of jewelweed growing.
I will be harvesting some of this to make an anti itch tincture for the winter.
It’s all coming along. I am enjoying the fact that I am being more consistent with the property this year. That said I am hoping I can get everything done before the weather breaks.
DO YOU HAVE A SENSE OF URGENCY CONCERNING THE WEATHER THIS YEAR?
SNOW WHITE OR THE FARMER?
I went for coffee with my daughter the other day and we were talking about the forest garden at the Vicarage. Amanda said, “It’s like we live in Snowwhite’s Cottage, Dad.”
Today I was on a call with my sister and she commented, “You have let the gardens go for so long that what you have is a mature forest. You don’t need to make it into a forest garden you need to prune the forest and make it more usable.”
She is right, of course, Our little micro forest is severely overgrown. I do need to make it more productive as I practice permaculture.
I guess the questions I need to ask are “what do I really want my forest to do?” and “what do I want my forest to be?”
Honestly I love the gardening aspect. As I have turned back to it this year I have loved cultivating my own flowers and my own food. I want to do more of that next year.
But it is not just about the productivity of the gardens; I also love the wildlife and the domesticated life we have in the garden.
I love the animals. As I prune the garden I want to make it a more usable habitat for us as a family but also for the little creatures that live in the forest around us. I can’t imagine not having cardinals and woodpeckers and bluejays and grackles and squirrels and rabbits and chickens. I love that I have to leave the clover long for the rabbits to eat and I love that I have to buy birdseed and suet for my winged critters. I even love it when the squirrels and chipmunks come to steal the food from the birds for their midwinter snacks.
I love being able to cook a meal straight from the garden and I love being able to eat that meal while watching God’s creatures from my dining room windows. I realize that everyone had goals in gardening. These are mine.
IF YOU HAVE A GARDEN, WHAT ARE YOUR GARDENING GOALS?
Notes From the Vicarage 