I’m a busy, busy lady these days! But that’s nothing new, is it? I will take a season of rest, and someday soon! But right now, it’s difficult to do, because I’m excited about developing the land, putting in gardens and preparing for spring!

I truly don’t mean to take on so much. These projects just sorta slip in, unawares. I find myself working even when that was never my intention.

Like Sunday evening, when I wandered out the kitchen door to look over the area we had just cleared for raspberry canes. I’m in love with the idea of having fresh raspberries no more than 15 steps off the kitchen door! What farm-and-food-loving-girl wouldn’t be?

Well, I stood there, visualizing exactly where we would put the raspberry bed. Then, I noticed a rake leaning up against the wall of our cold room, and thought I’d clean up rocks and bits of debris from the site.

Two hours later, my man came ’round the corner of the house and discovered that my dreaming had (once again) turned to action. Yes, we had a new raspberry bed!

I try. Really, I do! But the land always gets the best of me. I’m just so happy to have my own place where I can finally create and put in whatever plants I want, my excitement carries me long after the energy is gone!

And here’s how it happened this time!

 

Some Rotten Wood

I raked the landscape clear of debris and then decided our raspberry plants would probably appreciate growing in rotten wood. Wouldn’t they?

Trotting over to our wee larch forest, I hauled rotten birch trunks back to the cleared landscape. Lining them up one by one, I made a mini hugelkultar bed.

Perfect.

The acidity-loving raspberry plants should like that, right?

 

Berries on a Slope

As I surveyed the logs, I realized our berries would be growing on a slight slope. Maybe I should do something to keep soil, the rotten wood and water in the garden bed? There was a huge pile of rock not too far off, so I decided to put in a mini-retaining wall.

Plunk, plunk, plunk! Down went the rock and up went the wall! I liked the effect.

 

A Layer of Soil

Once the little retaining wall was up, I beat the logs to smithereens with a hoe. And that is when my man showed up to drag me inside the house. Or was he asking for supper? I can’t remember!

Anyway, as darkness was claiming my sight, I quit for the night. But the next morning, I covered those beat-up logs with a hearty layer of top soil, then planted some young raspberry shoots I’d gotten for free.

 

There’s Raspberries Just Off My Kitchen

Mission accomplished! I think it’s going to look lovely, provided the plants actually make it. And one day, there’ll be fresh, sun-ripened raspberries just off my kitchen!

From the dining room window, I can see the little rock wall lining the young raspberry shoots I dug from a friend’s patch. I think I’m going to like it!

The place is coming together and the dreams I dreamed while spending the winter in that 8×12 cabin are finally taking shape. It’s satisfying. Exhausting. And it feels so good.

There’s raspberries just off my kitchen, friend. And today, I’m going to soak up this little fact!