More Planting

Marisa was busy planting all sorts of things - beans, cucumbers, peas, and more. We've been harvesting lettuces, parsley, and take a look at this fennel bulb!

Culvert Pipes

For a couple years we have wanted to open a path from the veg field into the field just behind where an animal path has been for many years. The main idea being so we can easily bring the mower and supplies through rather than going around our neighbours' house and through the herb field just to cross the hedge. But there are ditches on both sides of the roughy 1.5m (5ft) earthen hedge. So using a small digger (excavator) borrowed from our neighbour down the road, we removed a roughly 4m (12ft) section of the hedge, then dug out the ditches which had mostly filled from many years without maintenance.

A thin layer of small gravel was laid at the bottom, then one 300mm by 6m (20') reinforced culvert pipes were put in each ditch and positioned to have a minor slope in the direction of water flow. The pipes were covered with the smaller gravel to roughly level with the ground, then larger 75mm (3in) rock was laid on top.

Shed Painting

The weather has been unsually dry and warm - more than a month with almost no rain, and highs of 20C-25C (68F-77F). Marisa took advantage of the clear skies to power wash and paint the tractor shed while Rua supervised - a mighty fine job!

Dairy Kitchen

We have wanted to rebuild the front part of the milking parlour (dairy shed) for a few years. The old equipment for milking looked to have been installed in the 1970s or 1980s and we removed that a while ago. After removing the old sinks and rusted frames they sat on as well as all the old dairy piping, we framed in a partition wall and interior ceiling which will keep the swallows and other birds from making a mess of the kitchen area. A couple sheets of galvanised metal close part of the lower walls, but the rest will be left open for now. We moved in a stainless steel sink that was outside the tractor shed - it makes rinsing fruit and veg so much easier. And a small fridge and freezer help keep items fresh.

I also installed galvanised sheeting and barge flashing around the new door to the milking parlour so we can keep the weather out.