If in Doubt, Rout it Out!

No, this is not a picture of Bali, the most beautiful and serene spot on earth, where I'll be off to in a couple of weeks.  December isn't especially kind to Bufflehead Pond Farm and its denizens, and this denizen in particular is getting out of Dodge for a couple weeks.  But not until the rest of my garden is prepared for spring, with all the new raised beds built and filled with rich delicious compost and dirt for our new green babies...

The Big Chill

So here's the deal.  Three plus years ago I provided my requirements for the raised beds to darling Bruce (whose promise to me that he is "very handy" has come true beyond all expectation), complete with examples of how each board and post needed to be cut.  Three. Years....  But in the meantime, I have to say, we did get my new cottage built, some major septic repairs done, lots of landscaping projects, a new generator installed (along with a really cool concrete pad that Bruce and my cousin Ritchie poured), and some electric horse fencing put up, a chicken coop and run built, and two privacy screen walls built around the hot tub, among hundreds of other maintenance and clean-up stuff that had to be done.  Oh, and some motorcycle trips, and lots of fun visitors throughout the summer and fall.  Did I mention two weeks on a motorcycle around New Zealand this year?

Trust me, I'm not complaining about my garden not getting done in any kind of hurry.  Things just take longer than one would hope, and everything had to begin with equipping a shop the size of a seven-car garage with all the tools, tables, shop vacs, benches, and other assorted toys that men like to play with when they are "working."  Almost forgot to mention the project of installing an antenna on the shop exterior to provide football entertainment to the worker.  I'm surprised there isn't a beer tap out there.  Yet.  Stay tuned...

Back to my very simple requirements:  Raised beds, made of cedar, exactly 4' x 4' (or 8' x 1'), with dovetail joints in the posts to make it easy for me to assemble without tools, and easy to modify whenever needed. After 2.5 years of being told that this would never work, wouldn't last, wouldn't hold together, was too hard to make, didn't have the right tools, not on the top of the priority list, I finally broke the code and persuaded Bruce to make them the way I wanted.  No screws, hammers, nails, not designed to withstand thermonuclear blasts... and no more discussion about how wrong it is... finally, after investing in a beautiful new Dewalt router set and a box of assorted 1/2"-shank router bits (ostensibly for his birthday), I GET WHAT I WANTED!!!  They're so perfect, and will look amazing once they're full of raspberries and strawberries, and once I've had time to rebuild the surrounding rock perimeter.  I'm ecstatic.  Bruce might even get lucky tonight.

New strawberry beds with dovetail joints!!!

Today we took delivery on 12 yards of very special dirt, 25% fish compost and 75% garden soil, which will fill all the new beds, along with our own compost, vermiculite, bone meal, etc.  Our garden plants eat better than we do.  Every speck of this dirt will go into the garden before I leave for Bali, December 31st... because if any is left over Bruce will use it to level out the back yard.  The pressure is on.  :D

Mount Dirtmore

Winter is not an idle time for a serious gardener, I'm learning.  First post-Bali job will be to hack back the voracious overgrowth of our two grapevines that nearly devoured Hansville.  January is about the time when the canes won't "bleed" when cut, and is the best time for pruning these beasties.

Grapes of Wrath

In other news, I've been appointed to the Kitsap County Noxious Weed Control Board for a four year term, and will start the Master Gardener program at WSU Extension in Bremerton in January! It's going to be a fine year to be on Bufflehead Pond Farm!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Dee and Bruce