First Beds are in!

We have finally gotten all the purchased willow stalks in the the first bed, and after a good week of rain, they are mostly thriving. Our working area has been mowed and our first planting is done. Mostly. 

I keep talking about digging holes for our 1 year willows still in pots, but we are finding that shoveling more than 2-3 holes at a time is too much for us and too few for the job to get done. More holes for landscaping and fencing are in our future too. Similarly, we have found that our mower is not up to the job of taking down the wild grass and brush on most of the farm. The solution to both is better equipment. A digging auger and a  trimmer-mower are being researched. 

The one year old potted willows slowly added
to the bed. Spindly, but surviving.

I ordered a “grill gazebo” last week which will be a perfect turnkey water shed. It’s just an open structure with a slanted roof. I probably paid more than needed, but the likelihood of us building a structure from scratch in a timely manner is small, so a turnkey kit is the best solution. We’ll add a gutter and piping into a rain barrel, (eventually a 300g water tote) for the summer droughts sure to come. 

Seems unlikely this minute, with the weather calling for 5 days of rain. I can’t believe we were hand watering just a few weeks ago. 

On a personal note, my trauma around rain has virtually disappeared. My house used to flood every time the rain was heavy or prolonged, and my anxiety would shoot up at the sound of it. I used to try to get ahead of the rising water, but it was too much for me. Now that the house is sold, and I have a field of thirsty willow, prolonged rain is… can I say good? Even great! Just getting rid of the house is cause for celebration!

2 days later

We've missed the window for spring camping at the beach, all the parks on the ocean are booked til next fall. We should be looking at mountain getaways anyway, but really, we need to put in a foundation for the water gazebo, mow and dig some more holes. The rain chances have disappeared again. Irrigation is again top of list.