Propagation light table

Propagation light table
Originally uploaded by rubhadubh

Well, she asked for it, and I did need a practice project to try out my new Kreg jig (www.kregtools.com)! And so here, as requested, and indeed, as modelled by my glamorous assistant, the lovely Jane, is my version of a propagation table.

Each tier is lit by 4 x 4' daylight T8 fluorescent bulbs and gives 8 square feet of room to start seeds off. We will probably need to add heat either with a heating pad, or a wall heater behind the unit. Whether 24sq.ft. will be enough room is yet to be seen.

We are hoping to have not only our own plants started off, but also enough young transplants to be able to make our fortune at the first Farmers' Market of the year on Saturday May 9.

I can always make a mk.II version, missing out all the mistakes I made with this one. It didn't cost a huge amount, the lumber was $75, the light fittings $160 and the bulbs $45. Twice the size and half the price than the one sold by Veseys. And when the seeds are done with, we can use it to sleep visitors on in the spare room - I should have made it a bit longer :-)

I wonder how long it will be until the polis are around asking what we're cultivating!!

Snow,ice,ice,snow.

Yep, that seems to be the pattern at the moment. Snow and ice dominate pretty much all of our outdoor tasks. Whether it's opening the barn doors, watering the animals, walking to the garage, or driving down the drive, conditions underfoot (or sometimes overfoot and over the knee too!) are a time-consuming and challenging occupation. It took three tries to get up the hill yesterday, because I was silly enough to stop at the bottom to pick up Cam from the school bus. Smashing ice in buckets and chicken drinkers is part of the daily routine. Skidding up and down the drive with buckets of gravel can be fun. And, hey, taking the occasional kettle of boiling water out to defrost a stuck door isn't such a big deal! The cold fresh air still makes me feel alive, and the animals hardly seem to notice.

Still, despite all the above, I must confess I do find my thoughts turn to spring occasionally. And I find myself fantasizing about wearing fewer clothes, eating fresh tomatoes from the garden and not tip-toeing gingerly about like a granny. Even the horrors of the blackfly seem to blur when I think of walking bearfoot over the grass....

But hey, our wonderful community rink will be gone in the summer, and sledging down the hill will not be an option. And there's something about those mornings when the snow glitters like, well, like glitter, and the ice makes beautiful big leafy patterns on the porch windows.

Maybe my biggest revelation about our move to Canada has been just how much I love the seasons...

When does spring start?

Trouble in Porky Packages

Berkshire Weaners - February 2009
Originally uploaded by rubhadubh

Kilbrannan Farm expanded it's livestock and culinary potential this morning when we drove over to New Ross to pick up our two Berkshire weaners.

Ross Farm, I have mentioned it before, is a great place - a heritage farm museum. Not a dry boring museum though, they really 'walk the walk'! Their Berkshire sows and gigantic boar produce piglets which are then sold to those in the know. Those in the know, know that these heritage breed pigs produce outstanding pork and bacon, a world away from bland commercial porkery.

There's still a deal of snow around and -15, so we have them in the barn with a heat lamp for the time being. They have made themselves a nest and are currently sleeping off the excitement of the day.

Once it fairs up we'll have them out on pasture, scoffing all the garden offcuts, and that should turn them into prime pieces of porkdom. In the meantime, we'll scritch them behind the ears and try to make them happy meat!