The Autumn Prep seed starting + life
S E P T E M B E R
a month of transition
It feels surreal to begin prepping the garden for autumn planting so soon when only four short months ago, I was sprouting seeds for the first time in this new climate. In this new Land. On this new dirt in a section I decided to call “garden”. Though it may still be high temperatures outside, I can feel the shift of September- of Autumn knocking on our door. The leaves blowing magically across our lane - the auburning of the leaves in the thicket outside the kitchen window - the much cooler + crisp mornings, all signaling to me that it was time to begin prepping for Fall planting and winterizing our animals.
In the aspect of starting seeds, the action of it is so simple that my now 6 year can do it for me with minimal supervision. A quick explanation is to :
wet paper towels
lay them in a tray (I love to use green house trays like this one)
lay the seeds out on the moist towels
cover them up with another layer of wet towels
place lid back on tray and store in a cool dark area
Seeds should sprout between 2-4 days
Carrots and onions have been directly planted as of last week, potatoes will go in this week and we are already seeing little sprouts in the beds!
I have a vision. I have a dream of what this land can metamorphosize into with the intention of offering so much of that dream to my community. Already in itself, that dream comes with “big picture” projects however, currently we are in a race against the clock when it comes to projects needing completion that will keep our animals alive. In the mid-eastern states, the temperatures can dip below zero and at those temps, the goats and chickens, though cold hardy, may need a bit of help in staying warm throughout the winter months. The goat houses are assembled and functional for current weather conditions though far from completed, and we have yet to start on the chicken tractors, with now adding winterizing materials to the list such as
Heat lamps
Insulation
Extra lumber for inner paneling
Solar panels (though we cannot afford that right now so realistically we’ll probably end up on extension cords)
amongst other things.
On the renovation side of things, a French-drain much be installed around the cottage to keep all the water and moister out from underneath that can create board rot and mold. We already have to replace many areas of the foundation where the blocks have cracked and also some boards beginning to rot out from this step being skipped by the previous owners.
Although so much of the time pressure and comparison creeps into my heart, I do feel grateful for this opportunity that God and our hard work provided us with. The dream WAS Montana, but God lead us here… I feel as if this land, this dream is my testimony to his decision to bring us to a place we never intended. That though I have no clue of the why behind His plan for us, I’m going move forward as if I will be here all of my life.
