No, the raised beds aren't done yet. I am in the middle of a two day headache. Who knows how far out it's going to go? I am not having a migraine, thank goodness, but it is keeping me down. I might finish up attaching the stakes to the long sides of the bed frame, and drilling the holes where the ends of the long sides screw into the braces. I don't think I'll get them put together and on the ground today. It just feels as though my brains are bleeding out through my eye sockets.
Last week I sent a letter off to the Zoning Officer. I haven't heard back from him yet. Sometimes I think it is just easier to beg forgiveness than it is to ask permission. No one would have been any the wiser had I just gone ahead and gotten the chickens and rabbits. Now they're going to be looking at everything I do. Honestly, I detest living in a society that seeks so hard to protect its citizens that it smothers them. I would think my neighbors and I would be able to figure something out together. Perhaps that is just wishful thinking. Maybe we can't count on each other being reasonable anymore, and living in such close proximity to each other requires a person to be either reasonable, or regulated.
I have been reading a rather good book about seed saving and growing heirloom fruits and vegetables. It is called, Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth. It is very complete, almost a text book on the subject. Unlike a text book, it is fairly easy to understand. Much of it I already knew from various biology classes I've taken, but it goes over pollination in greater detail. Also, population size has a great deal to do with successfully saving healthy, genetically diverse seed for future generations. I am not sure that I can overcome that hurdle. If I have to save seeds from 20 - 100 plants to ensure genetic strength, I will be using most of what I grow just to produce seeds, not for eating. Maybe I can make arrangements with other gardeners. I'm not sure another gardener would trust the seeds of a newbie though, and for good reason. It could wipe out everything they've worked hard to achieve.
As far as the raised beds go, I have the short ends completed. I bought 14 pieces of 5/4" x 6" x 12' cedar planks, 7 pieces of 5/4" x 6" x 8' cedar and a bunch of
lengths of 2" x 2" cedar to cut 6" braces from. I bought a bunch of treated wooden stakes to help keep the long sides from bowing. I cut the eight foot lengths in half and drilled and screwed them into the 6" brace pieces. It was a fairly easy process, but I did break one bit, and an older bit seemed to be very dull and it eventually became so clogged with wood bits and sap that it no longer functioned. I already said what I have left to do, but with this headache it seems a bit daunting. My youngest daughter is going to help me tomorrow. That should make the task a bit easier and also provide some needed motivation to get it done. There's nothing like an audience to get you putting out an honest day's work! The photos here show the work I've done on the beds so far.
Last week I sent a letter off to the Zoning Officer. I haven't heard back from him yet. Sometimes I think it is just easier to beg forgiveness than it is to ask permission. No one would have been any the wiser had I just gone ahead and gotten the chickens and rabbits. Now they're going to be looking at everything I do. Honestly, I detest living in a society that seeks so hard to protect its citizens that it smothers them. I would think my neighbors and I would be able to figure something out together. Perhaps that is just wishful thinking. Maybe we can't count on each other being reasonable anymore, and living in such close proximity to each other requires a person to be either reasonable, or regulated.
I have been reading a rather good book about seed saving and growing heirloom fruits and vegetables. It is called, Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth. It is very complete, almost a text book on the subject. Unlike a text book, it is fairly easy to understand. Much of it I already knew from various biology classes I've taken, but it goes over pollination in greater detail. Also, population size has a great deal to do with successfully saving healthy, genetically diverse seed for future generations. I am not sure that I can overcome that hurdle. If I have to save seeds from 20 - 100 plants to ensure genetic strength, I will be using most of what I grow just to produce seeds, not for eating. Maybe I can make arrangements with other gardeners. I'm not sure another gardener would trust the seeds of a newbie though, and for good reason. It could wipe out everything they've worked hard to achieve.
As far as the raised beds go, I have the short ends completed. I bought 14 pieces of 5/4" x 6" x 12' cedar planks, 7 pieces of 5/4" x 6" x 8' cedar and a bunch of
lengths of 2" x 2" cedar to cut 6" braces from. I bought a bunch of treated wooden stakes to help keep the long sides from bowing. I cut the eight foot lengths in half and drilled and screwed them into the 6" brace pieces. It was a fairly easy process, but I did break one bit, and an older bit seemed to be very dull and it eventually became so clogged with wood bits and sap that it no longer functioned. I already said what I have left to do, but with this headache it seems a bit daunting. My youngest daughter is going to help me tomorrow. That should make the task a bit easier and also provide some needed motivation to get it done. There's nothing like an audience to get you putting out an honest day's work! The photos here show the work I've done on the beds so far.
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