Published on
March 26, 2009 in
garden.
I built a bee hive. It’s based on top bar hives built by a guy in Wyoming.
I built it of materials found in our basement or nearby construction work. I did have to buy a replacement pulley for the table saw when the pulley broke, but that doesn’t count. I spent no money on this construction. It’s glued and screwed, built of pine, cedar, spruce, 1/4″ luon plywood, 3/4″ plywood, 2″ foam insulation in the cover, and a corrugated fiberglass roof.
It fits 24 bars maximum, and uses a melted wax channel as a comb guide on the bars.
Next month I’m picking up some Minnesota Hygenic bees from an apiary to the north.
Published on
March 17, 2009 in
garden.
I’m growing garlic, shallots, and three varieties of onion in the garden.
I bought the day-neutral onion collection which contains 50-75 onions each of red candy apple, superstar and candy varieties (150-225 total). I planted about a third of them today, but I haven’t figured out where to put them all.
I will plant what else I can find places for today and give my leftovers to Kalen and Claire.
I also have a few leeks leftover from last year still growing, and some kind of ornamental Allium I have not identified yet.
Published on
March 4, 2009 in
garden.
This plan still feels a bit tentative. Some plants will have to find places in the back yard or the interstices.
The dark-seeded favas, ‘negreta’ I think they were called, are about half dead. I have about 7 kale plants left, which seems like plenty, but some of them are flowering, so I should plant new ones. The brussels sprouts never yielded anything, and I’m wondering if they will. The garlic looks good. About 1/3 of the shallots aren’t visible. I don’t know if they’re waiting for something, or if they died in the snow.
I started seeds for tomato, beets, peppers, fennel, kohlrabi, and a bunch of other things last weekend.
