Monday, June 9, 2014

The past week resulted in excellent progress on several projects.

Bobby and his crew finished replacing the siding on the west face of the Grigg barn and began work on the north end and roof.

The landscaping crew was here on Thursday and completed their mowing, trimming, edging and blowing of all lawns and walkway areas.

Cipriano was here later in the week to consult about work to be done on the fish pool adjacent to the parterre garden, and a craftsman has been located to re-work the cobblestone apron around the pool as part of the re-conditioning process.

Sherry, Kyle and Geo were here, Sherry working inside the houses and Kyle and Geo outside.

The Central Virginia Builders crew completed work on the south portico of the Estate House, and by the end of the week, the scaffolding which has screened the porch for months was being removed.

Stephen and I spent Friday morning and early afternoon planting the new vegetable and herb garden.   The garden now includes transplants of heirloom tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplant, yellow squash, zucchini, cucumbers, Swiss chard, and lettuce, along with seeds planted for Blue Lake bush beans and additional lettuce.  We added herb transplants of basil, oregano, dill, cilantro, sage, thyme, chives, and lavender, planting them in proximity to their "companion" plants in order to fend off unwanted insects wherever possible, and then to enjoy them along with their neighbors at harvest time.  We planted marigolds and calendulas at the ends of the beds, also to help with insect control, but the blooms of both these flowers are also edible, and are wonderful added to soups and salads.  Calendula has also been used as a medicinal plant for centuries, useful in skin care and healing preparations.

Surprised little toad found between the oregano plants while
transplanting.  We hope he finds a home in the garden somewhere
so he can help with insect control.

Friday afternoon we went to Milmont Greenhouses in Stuart's Draft and I purchased additional herbs to create a "kitchen garden" in one of the raised beds created by the old greenhouse foundations.  It will probably be the end of this week before this garden is in place, but it was wonderful to be able to find the variety of beautiful plants we needed, including marjoram and lemon balm.  We highly recommend a visit to Milmont Greenhouses--it's about 15 or 20 minutes west of Ramsay, and is located in a beautiful portion of the Shenandoah Valley in a Mennonite community.  The quality of their plants is unrivaled, and their prices are very reasonable.

On Saturday morning, we replaced the plantings in the urns at the front gate with new ones we had found at Milmont--Stephen did all the climbing and planting.  We then added a few additional heirloom tomato plants I had found at Milmont to the garden, and topped all the beds with hardwood mulch to complete the planting part of this project.  The fence is still a work in progress, so it will be developing as the garden grows.

The chickens continue to thrive in their aviary.  They are very friendly and also very curious, hopping up to see what I have in my hands if I come in bringing feed or water, and then into the coop while I'm cleaning it, I guess to make sure I'm doing a satisfactory job.

The horses are doing a good job of keeping the grass cut in their paddock.  It's a sure sign of summer to see horses with fly masks on, which they need only when the weather gets warm and stays that way.

The "greenhouse garden" is thriving, and I saw a pair of bluebirds scoping out the birdhouse.  Maybe they are a couple who has used the house before, as I understand bluebirds frequently return to former nesting sites each year.  We do know the bluebirds stay in our area all year, and like the goldfinches, their colors are somewhat muted in winter.  But bluebirds don't visit our feeders as the goldfinches do in cold weather, so it's nice to see them near the house again.  They were too camera-shy to capture for the blog this time.