New Year Project

 

When we put in this fence line last year, it was intended to give the deer a sense of boundary. To make life easier for both the deer and me, I planted raspberry starts all along the fence line. This attempt to bribe the deer to eat from "their" raspberries and leave mine alone didn't work at all.  Since this line got overrun with weeds, they preferred the nicely trimmed main raspberry patch, and I ended up picking the berries buried in the weeds.  So, this is what it looked like after a year of neglect. Opportunistic weeds like grass, Alder trees, comfrey, foxglove, creeping buttercup, and many more had developed a very hard sod/weed base all along the fence.  The only wire I had put on the fence was a single line of wire to kind of trellis the raspberries.  I really can't stand weeds, so I began clearing the weeds off this fence line and creating a new area adjacent to the main garden for another Hugelkultur mound. We are going to put a more serious fence outside the mound. This side of the garden is the main entry point for deer, raccoons, rabbits, etc. and I'm hoping a better fence will solve some of the problems of critters in the garden.

I began working on clearing the weeds about a month ago. Weather only allowed me to work on it periodically. I realized quickly that I would need a lot more mulch to complete the project, so I ordered another 15 yards of mulch.

I should finish the fence line weeding today, and then I can start on the fun project of installing the actual fence line on the other side of the new garden area.  I'm trying to transition the garden into more of a raspberry thing - I know raspberries do well no matter the weather so why fight to grow more exotic plants that may only do well in a "tomato" year? I may have to open a U-Pick for raspberries. 

I'm also trying to transition to more of a mulch covered food forest and less of a row crop tilled garden.

Summer is Here!

 

Volunteer Foxglove overlooking the lake in the morning sun.

Finally, lake is warm enough to swim every day, plants are getting sunshine to grow, and life is good!  My favorite time of year is late spring/early summer, but I actually love every season - if winter is very short!

Broccoli and cabbage in the Hugelkulture mound are thriving.

The pole beans have found the trellis and are growing by leaps and bounds.  Peas along the lakeside fence of the mound are producing peas. 

The beets at the north end of the mound are WAY bigger than the beets I planted in the main garden at the same time. All in all, the 14' x 3' Hugel mound is doing a lot better than the main garden.  But that may be because it's in full sun all day, and the lake is like a big heat sink that keeps the area close to the lake warmer.  Or it could be the composition of the mound itself - where the decaying wood in the bottom creates extra heat to the plants growing on top.  

Raspberries - I'm about a week away from being up to my eyeballs in raspberries.

The corn we planted early came up spotty, so the replanted corn is only about 2" tall.  The corn that did come up early is about 6" to 8" tall.  The coming days of warm weather should change that quickly.

Blackberries - looks like a year I'll finally get a crop of blackberries.

Strawberries every day now!

Lots of figs forming - hope I can beat the birds to them!

Apples are always dependably abundant.  I've been thinning every time I go to the orchard, but it is like one of the tasks of Hercules to get them all thinned.  

May Newsletter

I renewed my real estate broker license this year and am actively working again.  Part of what I'm doing is providing a monthly newsletter for happenings in our town and surrounding area.

News from the State Legislature regarding taxes:

Real Estate Excise tax that is paid when real estate is sold will be changing in 2020.  The current rate is a flat 1.28% of the sales price.  A graduated scale will change that so a property sold in 2020 that has a sale price of $500,000 or less will owe slightly less tax at 1.1% - Properties from $500,000 to $1.5 million will still pay 1.28%.  Properties $1.5 to $3.0 million will see an increase to 2.75%, and properties over $3 million will pay a 3% excise tax.

An excise tax on vaping products was also passed, and changes were made to current tax exemptions, including amending the current sales tax break for residents who live in states that don't have a sales tax, like Oregon. Under the plan, non-residents would be able to request sales tax refunds of more than $25 and would be limited to one refund per year.

The lid on school levies was also lifted.

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Explore Granite Falls and the Mountain Loop—Great YouTube video about our area - If you've never visited this area, this will show you a lot of what we have to offer - Click on the link below:

Explore Granite Falls

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Real Estate Happenings: 

BBQ Bucket restaurant sold  as long time owners retire—Thai restaurant coming soon.

A Bistro type restaurant will move into the old Tom Thumb grocery store building soon.

The latest estimate for the opening of the new city hall is sometime in July.

A strip mall in the area adjacent to IGA is in the early planning stages.

O’Reilly Auto Parts broke ground for their store across from McDonalds.

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May gardening tip:  Our normal latest frost day is around the first of May, so it’s safe to plant warm weather crops now.  For quicker germination of corn, soak seeds overnight before planting.

Tomato and pepper plants do better if provided with stakes for support.  If we get a cold night, any cover helps plants to survive and thrive.

Roundup alternative:  A quart of water, a cup of vinegar, a cup of Epson Salts, and a couple of   tablespoons of Dawn dishwashing detergent.

Call me for a complementary market analysis for your property as we enter the busiest time of year for real estate.   I love Granite Falls and look forward to working with you to buy or sell in this area.