The Rainmaker

Every time I set foot outside today, it rains. Well, perhaps that is an exaggeration - it did hail once and there was that thunderstorm. It is sunny again now (and thundering), but the drill needs recharging. Not the seed drill, though I can see why you might think that. This particular drill is a very picky little battery powered drill-holes-in-the-wall type drill. I am using it to drill holes in oak logs so that I can hammer little wooden plugs into the holes. It's a bit like that toy you had as a small child, hammer in the pegs, then turn it over and hammer them in again. These particular pegs have been inoculated with Shitaake mushroom spores and we are experimenting with them for the first time.

If all goes well we should have Shitaake mushrooms in the fall. Probably not enough to sell this time around, but if it works, we are thinking of expanding into some serious mushroom production. We have the humidity, might as well make it work for us!

The spores came from FungiPerfecti and so did the instructions.

Tools: a 5/16in drill bit, a power drill that works (although I might try the brace drill soon), a small unused paint brush and a rubber mallet.

Materials: logs, mushroom spores, cheese wax.

Method: drill holes, bang in spore plugs, coat holes with melted cheese wax, wait a long time.

Sorry no pictures today - it's raining again!

Onion Planting

We are planting onions today, lots and lots of onions. We ordered 3600 plants this year, but we didn't count to make sure they were all there!

Most are a little smaller than a pencil.Karl and Dan got half of them planted today, the rest will go in tomorrow. It is backbreaking work and it's cold outside. I am glad I chose the blogging option.

Can you see him?

A Spring Peeper

When I came out to take pictures we spotted a tiny frog hopping along the rows.

That was also when we noticed the wonky rows! I know it is April Fool's Day, but Dan insists they did not do it on purpose!