No housework yet

No housework yet. Getting to it.

Decided to go ahead and finish doing the digging this morning. Then next week all I have to do is fill that section in. The pile is right next to the dug out area, so I spread compost, treated and filled in the very bottom. That way dirt knocked loose and rolling down in the hole won't cause me to have to dig again.

The embers from the bonfire were still hot this morning, so I started burning again. Air is calm and it's less likely the fire dept will show up during the day. Keeping the hose nearby, surrounding area wet and shovel nearby. Once I'm done the remaining wood will be useable for one thing or another. Ashes will cool over the weekend and I can mix them with clay soil to help keep it loose.

Two problems with adding ashes to soil. One is that ash has a lot of salt. Can't do too much about that. The other is that ash is very alkaline. Means I'll have to increase the amount of vinegar I'm using to balance things out. Otherwise, it will help with the soil condition and add lots of necessary carbon to the soil. I will have to sift the ashes before use because the boards had lots of nails and staples in them. Then still only spread the ashes in the lower part of the soil for safety.

Speaking of which, it's becoming fairly rare that I run across the broken glass and debris which was everywhere when I moved in here. Bigger problem tends to be garbage which blows into the yard, mostly from the church parking lot. They never seem to clean it up, so wind carries lighter trash into my yard.

While I've been digging, there has been a pile of PVC nearby, left from the greenhouse attempt which blew apart in the heavy NM winds. Now I'm considering using some of the PVC for subterranean irrigation. This is a good time for planning it out, before forming rows. It would mix well with using the irrigation well. With the right setup, I could also deliver soluble fertilizer at root level at low concentration. Much less water loss to evaporation before the plants even have a chance to absorb any moisture.

Going to have to get back to doing something.