Re-entry, Green Acres Village: And wow! Creative chaos!

Lots went on here at home during the five weeks I was gone. (I will put near-daily posts from the spiral journey up on their own page soon, hopefully today.) Meanwhile, the new front yard hugelkultur sprouted, on its own, both radishes and turnip greens! Only on top; the sides don’t yet have enough dirt.

In fact, what dirt was there is busy being excavated by whatever crittera has moved in. (Hugelkultur beds tend to double as wildlife habitat). Notice the soil piled in front of this side view.

Meanwhile, podmates Dan and Arielle moved the compost to a new location, in the garden itself, from behind the Overhill house. Have yet to hear their reasoning, and wish I had been consulted, since the public garden gate is nearby! Oh well! Let go, Ann.

And meanwhile, we have a huge, long-planned capital improvement project going on, due for completion before January, when it will be needed to start seeds for spring. This is to convert the flimsy DeKist garage, where son Colin had temporarily shored up its leaning sides in order to start his Garden Tower Project five years ago, into a solidly constructed structure, the front half as our new, permanent winter greenhouse (south facing, and workable each year after the leaves are off the tree in front) — that’s Leah and Rebecca, tearing off roof shingles  —

— my job is picking up the downed shingles and throwing into a nearby dumpster.

Meanwhile, the back half of the garage has been transformed —

into a drying room for herbs in back and a bunk room in front for the stream of visitors, interns, woofers, and others magnetized by our continuing experiment in creating a working, land-based village in the middle of a suburban neighborhood. Rebecca tells me that during my weeks away, two visitors came through, stayed several nights in the Overhill living room, and both worked hard with us on projects.

Oh, and I almost forgot! Dan is also obtaining huge crocks –

and bottles —

— in pursuit of his passion: fermentation. (He gets crocks cheap, down in Evansville.)

“Green Acres Alchemy” — how does that sound for our new business? Value-added products produced from extra produce. We’re on our way.