February 22, 2018

Good morning, how disconcerting it is when you wake up in the morning and you turn the faucet on only to get a cup full of air. Not my chosen way to become fully awake. Hind sight would have told me to go online for well trouble shooting steps.

Instead we got Skinners well services out.  The solution was way too simple, but I did get to ask them how much it would cost to solarize the well. The ball park quote looks like this could be very doable. It has been a desire of both Deb and I to take the well off grid.

There are a number of reasons for wanting to do this. The main reason is if the power goes down we will still have water. In the winter having a slow run is our front-line defense to keep pipes from freezing. In 2011 when it got to 1.5 degrees and was freezing for several days, fortunately we never lost power or had frozen pipes. In the summer time especially, the last couple of summers where it has been beastly hot, to lose power would spell the demise of the garden. Besides it would just be nice to be our own power source for the one thing that allows us to live where we live. No water, there would be nothing.

So, it looks like we will get the well off- grid soon.

As for the reason for the power outage to the well, I am not sure if the bug was electrocuted or squished but none the less he was dead. How funny that a ¼ inch contact and a bug passing over that contact at the exact time that the pump clicked on was the reason. No idea what the chances of that happening are but truly very slim.

Spring planting is in full swing and yes, the fabric is why this is all possible. I hope that we do not get any more of the bone chilling over night lows. I do see a number of weeds and Bermuda grass sprouting, so there is soil warmth to be harvested and the fabric can do this quite nicely.

This week will be the last week for kohlrabi and cabbage. This bed needs to be prepped for cucumbers. The soil may be too cool for cucumbers but germinated seeds have worked well in the past. My purple green beans are in the ground to be followed by other spring veggies soon. I looked under the first sowing of peas and they are just about in full bloom. Keep your fingers crossed there are no hard freezes to zap the young pea pods.

Thursday morning will be interesting when I get out in the garden. Wednesday's over night low when I first looked was 21. I hope it does not drift lower. Time will tell. I cross my fingers that enough warmth has been harvested. 

 Planting early is always risky but the rewards can be amazing!