Project #3 - Stones...why did it have to be stones?

 Well, the fence is up.  No, it isn't perfect.  Yes, I had a helluva time digging holes for the posts, which is why 1.) the posts aren't all at the same depth, and 2.) I ended up having to stagger the panels.

Everywhere I dug I seemed to hit massive boulders underground, despite the recent excavation of most of this area.  Also, the land slopes down away from the house, which would mean with this type of fencing my last panel would have been about three feet from the ground to the bottom of the panel.  I'll never use this doweled fence again, that's for sure.  Perfect for flat ground, not for this piece of property!

I ended up trying to stagger the panels to eliminate the bottom gaps by screwing them into the posts with decking screws on both ends for the first staggered panel, then for the next panel I screwed one end to the post and the other side I managed to set the dowels into the holes in the post.  I was going to do the same for the last panel, but it ended up being perfectly in line with the other post, so both ends have the dowels in the holes.  I'll have to do some creative cutting to block the open areas near the posts, but I think a few single pickets might work.  I need to cut a panel to make a gate, so I'm going to try pulling some pickets from the leftover portion to do that.

While it looks a bit messy from the back, if you look at it straight on, it's not so bad.  That one post that sticks up too high irritates me, but it's sitting on a bit of ledge.  I could have cut the post, but I honestly didn't have it in me to haul the tools out to do it at that point.  Sometimes you just have to say good enough and move on.

Not too bad for a 53 year old overweight ex-smoker.  My suggestion - if you're going to do fence, have someone there to help.  I needed Mother to hold posts and panels a few times, and by the end of the process I could barely move the panels into place alone.  It's these kinds of projects that keep my chiropractors and acupuncturist busy. 

I could have added one more panel, but I would have had to really stagger that one, so I opted to end where I did.  I've calculated the cost of the dog fence I was hoping to have installed but it's well out of my financial reach, so I'm cooking up some alternative ways to build my netted cat fence.  Today I'll mark out where I want the boundary to be and estimate my material list, and hopefully get the gate made and hung.  After that I'll need to affix some metal fence at the bottom of the panels and back-fill it with soil and large rocks to ensure cats don't squeeze under and escape, and to prevent outside creatures from digging under the fence.

Next up after this?  My pond awaits.

Project #3 - Fencing is a go, I repeat: Fencing is a go

 I've started putting up my privacy fence!  

I'm no stranger to fences; I've installed picket fence, electric fence, windbreak panels, post and wire fence, post and board fence, split rail fence, and cat fence.  I have never, however, installed dowel paneled fence.  So far it's going pretty well, it's just a little difficult to adjust heights and maneuver dowels into holes by myself, but I'm getting it.  I dug my first hole and immediately realized I'd purchased the wrong posts; I grabbed 3 end posts when I only needed 2, and forgot to buy corner post.  I took some time to re-finagle my design on paper and by simply moving the gate, I didn't need the corner post.  So far the digging has been typical for this area; it took most of the day just to dig four post holes and put up two panels.    

As for my seed...well, it's not what I'd hoped.  I spread three pounds of clover seed just as our well decided to get dangerously low.  Pretty hard to keep seed watered with no water.  I counted on a couple good rain storms to help out, but instead when it finally did rain, it came down with so much force it washed the seeds into low areas...mainly the gravel path.  So what I'm left with is a few clover seedling here and there, and then  clumps of it in lower areas.

So much for my groundcover.  I still have the field peas that I can plant, but I was hoping to save those for my vegetable beds, since they'll add quite a bit of nitrogen to the soil.  Wildflowers don't want nutrients, they want desolation.

I also managed to wrangle my tub into place alone.  It was over near the vent pipe and I wanted it on the gravel.  I chained a six foot pipe gate to Reputa and flipped the tub onto it, then dragged it somewhat into place.  I'll need some help getting it leveled and up on pavers to keep it from sinking into the gravel.  

The perennials in the circle bed are hanging in there, despite the drought.

I'm hoping they survive the winter, and this garden will look much better next year.  In the meantime, I'm off to do some more fencing.

Companion planting: regrets, I have a few...

 I've never really tried companion planting before, so I did a little research (dangerous) and decided to plant borage and nasturtium with some of my vegetables.  

The borage is supposed to be an all-around good companion for many vegetables.  It adds trace minerals to the soil, attracts pollinators by the droves, and is supposed to repel tomato worms (verdict - after picking about 40 hornworms off my plants yesterday, I'd say that's a myth).  All parts but the roots are edible, and it's said the leaves have a taste like cucumber.  I have eaten a few of the flowers and they are sweet delights, but the leaves and stems are covered with prickly little hairs that make me itch like I've been infested with fleas.  They sting a bit, too.  That might just be me and my uber-sensitive skin, but I can't imagine trying to choke down a leaf of this plant.  Also, nobody really let on that they may overtake whatever you're planting them with.  

Back in late May/early June, I planted five tomato plants in my big planter and peppered in a few borage and nasturtium seedlings.  Won't they be lovely when they bloom, in amongst the tomatoes?

 

Oh my aching head...

There are tomato plants in there, I swear.  I did have to pull the center plant as I inadvertently pinched the wrong leader and rendered it worthless, but the other four are doing well despite these thugs.  Trying to get water to the tomatoes is a feat; if it's early morning or late evening, there are sleepy bumble bees to watch out for on the borage flowers.  If it's middle of the day, there are hyperactive bumble bees, honey bees, hornets, and hawk moths to avoid.  In this area I've already had run-ins with a paper wasp nest on my porch railing, and an underground yellow jacket nest in the lawn.  I've become so petrified of being stung (two stings on the same ankle, one on the thigh) that I mostly avoid this area altogether, and it's become a bit of an overgrown jungle at this point.

So neat, so tidy.

Two months later...

Yikes.

As for the nasturtium, I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor of the blossoms.  I'd read they had a "peppery" taste; in truth they are more like a really good radish.  I love radish, so I've eaten quite a few of the blossoms.  I've also read that they will self-sow and run rampant and honestly, I'm ok with that.  They're pretty flowers and beneficial plants for insects, and are often used as a sacrificial plant to lure aphids and damaging beetles away from main crops. 

A few years ago I planted some creeping thyme in with my strawberry plants as a "living mulch" if you will.  Worked great the first year, ok the second year, and now...well, 

I've tried to pull what strawberry plants I could find out of that ridiculous mat, but most have been lost.  I had planned to try a xeriscape lawn with the creeping thyme, but went with wildflowers instead.  I still hope to pull this up and transplant it somewhere that it can expand its territory unbothered by my silly restrictions.

I also tried companion planting vegetables with vegetables, but a hungry woodchuck kept mowing down whatever I planted, so I kind of gave up trying.  There's always next year.