After such wonderful success we were blessed with over the winter with our two cold frames producing greens all winter long, we added a third cold frame, this one is going to be used first for housing seedlings which need green house conditions until nights no longer freeze. The greens are vital for good health and we eat them raw in salads to derive the maximum benefit.
Here you can see the basic design of the cold frame, it has a slanted top to allow maximum sun exposure to the plants within it. We make it out of ordinary pine lumber (untreated, pressure treated lumber contains many dangerous toxins and should not be anywhere near food). It can also be made out of cedar which is more rot resistant but also more costly. If we were living in a colder area we would consider surrounding the cold frames with straw bales to give added protection.
Greens are visible in the existing cold frame, this is highland cress (spicy cress) and a spicy mix of asian greens and arugula.
Cleaning the garden from last years debris and preparing the garden beds. The snow is almost finished melting.
These are gourds from last year which we allowed to dry right on their vines and now have moved to a pallet to complete drying. Gourds brought inside develop a mold while drying which is a health hazard, once the gourd is dried it can be cleaned and safely used.
Digging up "Sun Chokes" which had become visible due to the Earth heaving over the winter, we harvest some but left most in the ground to continue to expand this year. Sun chokes can be eaten raw or cooked and have a unique earthy flavor.
"White Wolf" is pruning the raspberry bushes to remove all old canes which can become diseased and any canes which are looking weak or unhealthy.
Our four year old, Anani, is learning how to make organic sugar water (syrup) to feed the bees after the long, hard winter.
White Wold giving the bees the syrup. On the right and below we examine our garden soil and were excited to see many worms and the high quality of the soil. Soil structure is very delicate and at this point we avoid tilling the soil and just loosen it with a fork. We have been working hard to contribute to the revitalization of the soil on the Land.
Burning debris, we will use the ash this year to add to the garden.
The same pile of debris from the opposite side. The snow on the side quickly melted.
The three photos above are of the process of clearing space and burning debris to prepare for new plantings and a kitchen within what we call "Kongo Land".
The "Chicken Whisperer" trains her chicken, who is very tame after 2 years of this type of handling.
One hawk flying with 9 vultures were above us when we were cleaning the Garden.
Tobacco plant roots hanging in the left photo, tobacco and sage hanging in the right photo.
Right Photo: Sage hanging from last year. Left Photo: Sweet Grass braids from last year stilling hanging in the gazebo.
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