Tuesday, July 31, 2012

So Busy, do I have enough time???

I finally tore done the old coop. Like I stated before, it was huge. It would have made a better doll house than a coop. It wasn't meant to move or be placed on uneven ground. The backyard did not supply level sitting. As I've worked in the yard, the apparent slope has become more and more noticeable. This is strange to imagine in a flat Florida backyard. The poor structure was always titling. It finally came to a crash when moving it last. This prompted me to change the coop in the first place. The backyard was a complete mess for weeks. I am not a clean freak, but I do not like things being a mess. I cleaned it all up on Sunday and the additional 4 ft run for the chickens is ready to be placed. I put a coat of polyurethane on the beehive(am currently not a fan of the painted look, yesterday. I put the rest of the plastic sheets on the garden beds and secured it down. This is to solarize it for the month of August. There are so many Root Knot Nematodes in the soil. There was also a fair amount of Fusarium fungi that killed off all the tomatoes. I had to sacrifice quite a few plants, but they were covered in whiteflies anyway. For the Florida folks out there, we understand that little to nothing can withstand the heat, humidity and problems that come with the intense summers. Some may argue that it gets more hot elsewhere, and they may be correct, but add heat with moisture and you have quite the environment for the growth of unwanted fungi and bacteria. Bugs also thrive when plants are ailing. So after yesterdays work, I started to realize that the backyard is almost complete. When I put in the beehive area, which I'd like to have enough room for 3-4 eventually, the entire yard will either be planted or used for traffic. I have the rabbits and chickens, and would like to add quail again. I had a lot of quail previously but I couldn't secure the cages well enough and they were picked off by raccoons and opossums. I have such a small backyard, but have planted so many trees. I am really pleased with how things are turning out. The title to this post refers to having enough time to solarize, finish the beehive area, chicken run, and hanging rabbit cages before I have to go back to work. As a teacher, I get the summers to refuel and to reinvest time in sustainability.

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