accidental irrigation
so, the acequia is going to irrigate our back field, the goat field, after we lower said field. meanwhile, the front of the property is lower than the back, and when the neighbor irrigates without opening our gate, water spills over the rim of the acequia, down our bridge, through the backyard, and, yesterday, all the way into the garden. thank goodness the yurt is a foot off the ground, on that deck, because it was awash in a sea of soupy brown mud.
we came home to this small river flowing through the Gate of Possibility and down the garden paths:
happily, the house is ever so slightly higher in elevation, and the water didn't get near it. if we were going to do furrow irrigation like this (which may eventually be an option, but our friends at Ironwood Farms have related their experiences attempting to water vegetables with ditchwater, and they found that it led to more weeding than any dozen people can reasonably keep up with, as well as a need for supplemental watering of veggies such as tomatoes & peppers, who really prefer a bit of water each day, and not a GIANT FLOOD once every two weeks) then we would need to find a way to safely and sanely bring the ditchwater down around the barnyard. i can't think of a way to do that that's not a complete pain in the ass. it can't flow through the barnyard. of course, if Debbie & Steven, or other highly like-minded and compatible people ever do buy Mr. Hill's place next door, we could run the ditch through that field. and water that field at the same time. but that's out there in the ocean of infinite possibility. we are happy with the drip system meanwhile.
Here are the promised photos of the "new" perennials garden. From the south:
from the north:
Burgundy gaillardia, with a not-yet-blooming firewheel gaillardia beneath:
lantana:
(yes, i have a special fondness for flowers that bloom red, orange, and yellow all at once!)
corn and beans--Inca sweet corn and lima beans:
Inca sweet corn and hidatasa red beans:
the purple podded pole bean photo didn't turn out, but the beans themselves are doing great. and we have volunteer tomatoes coming up in the corn mounds! volunteer basil, too.
the pond we filled in on saturday. field is now very nearly ready for the wedding. just some general clean up and raking left to do, which is on the schedule for the next work party (June 28th).
grapes in the arbor, ritual ground behind:
rudbeckia about to bloom, in the dye beds out back:
a particularly stunning example of my name plant, common yarrow, achillea millefolium:
that same yarrow, with standing tall before the ritual ground. note the cleared, cleaned-up side of the barn back behind everything. thanks, matt!
and, of course, mulberries. this is the first harvest from our tree out front, a week or two ago. these berries are now merrily bubbling away as mead in the livingroom.
the second harvest from that tree became cobbler:
and the half-bucket (about 8 lbs) from johnnys_garden are in the freezer, awaiting time to make jam.
the front tree is ready to be picked again, and a couple of the back trees, too. perhaps those ones can become dried berries, for all-summer snacking and backpacking delight!