It was such a wet summer, we struggled to put up hay and work in the gardens. So that put us late getting some other stuff done — like firewood. We already had plenty in the woodshed, nice split and dry too. But we like to have it stuffed full — just in case. Last week Will found a broken off big ash tree down in the edge of the woods. Real big! He worked for a couple of days cutting smaller trees to get down to it. Then yesterday, he got it dragged out. Just the branches alone gave us half a cord, which we split and stacked before bringing out the main trunk.
I was seeding some Early Red Bell peppers yesterday afternoon. They are hugely productive, sweet, and big too. I cut up the first batch to dehydrate. The second batch I cut into larger pieces to make Cowgirl Candy, which we really love. Then Will asked for help with the downed tree. Glad to take a break from the peppers, I hopped on the four wheeler and Will and Hondo drove the pickup to the woods. Hondo approved of the big log, running up and down on its full length. Will got it cut up into blocks, then we started splitting the blocks into pieces small enough we could lift into the pickup. (I’ll admit, some I couldn’t handle and didn’t think Will should have either!)
We got ’em all home and this morning we split the whole works with our $100 tractor-mounted wood splitter. Now we just have to get them stacked and in the wood shed. Will took off with the truck to pick up some used tractor tires he’d bought on a Do-Bid online auction but he’s anxious to get back so he can work on the stonework along the lower wall of our addition. Of course he wants to get that done before cold weather hits. It’s coming along real nice and puts a lot of our “crop” of rocks to good use. (The addition has a cantilevered wall with joists extending out 2 feet over a block wall.) Will added treated plywood and lots of insulation board to back the new “foundation” of stone, mostly for looks as it doesn’t support anything to any great extent.
I’m still picking beans and am having such fun discovering some of the new varieties we’ve grown this year! — Jackie
Our garden was pretty much a wash, and I do mean wash! In late spring we had rain, then hail, and then rain, between 4 and 8 inches each time. Lots of seed rotted away. Then between mid and late summer, we had 23″ of rain in a two week period. Bye-bye just about everything else. The only thing that did well for me was orange, yellow and small purple bell pepper plants. The orange and yellow were as large as my two fists put together. The purple were 1/3 the size, but they put on lots of peppers. I have a new son in law, and this winter I’m going to have him help me build some raised beds, that will have attached covers of chicken wire. The tops are about 20-24″ above the beds wall height. We have so many squirrels, coons and cotton tails, I’m hoping that these covered beds will offer some protection. I think covered in plastic and later something like cheese cloth will help lengthen our growing season.
I haven’t made many comments for some time, but I am still an avid reader. I’m very happy to see how well you and Will are doing, Jackie, I hope you have wonderful times over the upcoming holidays.
Robin Putman,
Thank you! I guess the reason I make our work sound like fun is that we really look at most of it as that; sort of a conglomeration of hobbies! It’s not often you can spend your days doing what you love. We do. (Except, of course, when things break down….) lol
Jackie, you make all the work you and Will do sound extremely fun. We also put in a large garden and I do a lot of canning. We also heat with wood so I know how hard cutting , splitting, and stacking wood is. When I read your blog I want to grab the husband and go cut wood. I love your blog. God bless you.
Deb,
Our biggest successes this year were our new paste tomatoes like Ruth Collier’s Large Paste, Mia’s Italian Paste, Enormous Plum and G. Chalmers’ Large Paste…and, of course, Bill Bean. Then there were new beans like Iroquois, Monachelo Di Trevio and Ilanz string bean. Failures? Too much rain caused corn seed to rot in the ground and us getting a real late start on many pumpkins/squash/beans in the North garden.
We are already starting to plan for next year, vowing to get seed in the North garden earlier and not stop until they are all planted. It was me waiting for “tomorrow” that got things screwed up as it then rained 7″.
I keep notebooks and pound in stakes with name varieties or I’d forget too. Good idea. I hope readers let us know what their gardens were like and plans for next year.
Rick Riley,
The apples were Frostbite and are a wonderful apple in all ways. For a crab, I’d strongly suggest Chestnut. It’s a great tasting apple; crisp and sweet as well as productive every year. Between the two, we are in Heaven!!
zelda,
No, he’s really cutting the log. Yep, safety gear can be a help but also a hindrance to some like Will. Safety glasses collect sweat and sawdust, limiting vision which can get you in trouble. Chaps have a way of getting snagged on stubs and brush, yanking your leg out from under you sometimes. Gloves limit your ability to feel the cut into the log. A hard hat really limits your vision. Will worked for decades in the logging industry, both as a faller (guy who cuts down trees) and as a horse/mule logger. When he worked for a logging company, he was required to wear safety gear. So he had plenty of experience with it…and the potential problems it can cause.
We both feel that experience is what keeps you from getting hurt most of the time, not gear. YES, we both wear seat belts when driving. And, Yes, his boots do have steel toes.
It is great to see these pictures of Will and Hondo. They make a great pair.
The cold is setting in here in Ohio but I bet you are well into it in Minnesota.
Those peppers are beautiful. I have a few left to pick also. Time to think about Thanksgiving dinner and all the side dishes we can make with our vegetables we all grew. Was wondering if you could share your biggest successes and perhaps a couple failures if you had any. I like to look back at the growing year and I bet you do, too. What will you do differently in 2017?
I am going to grow more carrots and root crops. Also, will do pole beans and not bush beans so I don’t have to bend. And will grow some of Will’s favorite corn. How do you keep records and keep everything straight as your seed list continues to grow? Perhaps other blog readers can chime in with their garden report. I love the community of people that read your blog and respond.
Miss Jackie, in an early October post you showed a photo of a lovely apple….what is it’s name? also I want to get a crabapple for pollination of other apples but want fruit that is useful as well as pretty. Any suggestions?
Blessings, Rick
Glad to hear you’re able to work on those chores. Love the stone work on the wall. Thank you for the update!
Yikes. That’s a scary photo of Will if he really is using a chain saw dressed like that. Heavy leather chaps, safety glasses, gloves, steel toed boots, and a hard hat would seem like a really good combination for that work, and I hope he was just posing for photos and not doing any real work.
Comments are closed.