Coming from Prince Rupert, I’ve always been concerned about getting my garden to drain adequately. We used raised beds in our gardens there, largely to keep the beds from becoming bogs. I never thought you could have too much of a good thing when it came to drainage …
Category: Homesteading
Our Adventures
The Beginnings of an Orchard
This year, we decided it was finally time to begin planting trees on our site – the start of an orchard. So, early this spring, we began the project by clearing nearly an acre of our land. This involved cutting lots of salmonberry and rose bush, brush burning, and root pulling. A very good way to get into shape!
Birds, Birds, Birds …
We love our birds … they are, after all, what gives our land its voice, makes us the “tir ceòlmhor” – the singing land. However, sometimes there are conflicts …
The Greenhouse Rises Again
From a state of near wreckage, the greenhouse rises again, a peaceful zombie composed of broken aluminum struts and strangely resilient sheets of polycarbonate …
Tuber Experiments
Traditionally, we usually harvest our root vegetables in the fall and store them in a root cellar over the winter. However, with our high water table in the winter, a root cellar just isn’t feasible. Last year, I harvested my tubers and tried storing them in tubs of sand above ground. This was a resounding failure – I ended up freezing most of my crop. This year, it was time for a new experiment.
Winter Solstice
Winter solstice has passed, Christmas has been enjoyed, and here we are … we’ve gained a whole entire minute of daylight!
Soffits and Other Trivia
Well, we finally won the marten war. We managed to get the soffits (shiny black material located in the eaves in the above photo) installed in and around weeks of rain. Mr. (or Mrs.) marten has been around, checking out our work, and has deemed the cabin completely marten proof.
A Little Black Bear
People always ask us if we have problems with bears. The last two summers, our answer was “no”. This summer, we have a little black bear …
Boats, Boats, Boats …
Boats seem an inevitable part of our existence, living up near the head of an inlet as we do. Every year, I think, “Well, the boats are in good condition this year, we’ve done lots of work on them, and everything should be fine.” And every year, our boats work hard to add just a little more adventure to our lives than maybe we really wanted.
A Solar Dehydrator
The summer solstice is past and summer’s finally here. The weather has become typically hot and dry, with no rain in sight for weeks. It’s time to start harvesting the garden before everything dries up and dies. As part of that process, we decided to build a solar dehydrator.