Diary: Moving Boulders, Laying Bricks, Planting Seeds at Tsuchida Cottage

Quick notes: relocated these three big old foundation boulders using a tripod and pulley to make a little ring around the plum tree for picnics with the kiddo, and hopefully you

there’s a big pile to move in order to make space for 5 more fruit trees (we have the saplings living in pots: orange, lime, grapefruit… )

the boulders were moved using brains not brawn with a steel tripod and pulley system made it very easy as long as you were smart and careful. :) It’s quite ingenious as those mighty heavy rocks were moved with just me, pregnant wife and the wonderful tiny mother-in-law 

Next, we fixed up the area next to Ryoko’s tool shed with a potted olive tree, lemongrass, and various other plants…

first, put down a stack of old bricks and other rocks so ya know, give it some character and functional charm

see what i mean? used up a buncha busted ole bricks, mixed in with other rocks and filled in with gravel

Next up is a peek inside Ryoko’s “naya” garage/tool shed – a magnificent old building with mud walls and charcoal walls (to prevent pests and fire). Being an arborist / decorative gardening / landscaper, loads of tools – i’ve started on the organizing project but while the tools were in daily use, was kinda hard but now outside work is paused so its back on the list – lots of unique specimen in here

Meanwhile, a few days later… Heading out for another round of gardening… She’s the brains choosing seeds and, unfortunately, I am the “muscle” – ha!

We loosened up the soil, added compost, rototilled and made mounds for planting (and a time-lapse video of doing so)

planted: beets, carrots, lettuce, spinach, zucchini, etc. and replanted a rose bush, importantly made cute signs on sticks as markers

this garden plot is in the sunnier front yard – there is a larger plot in the “back yard” which backs onto a bamboo forest with wild boar so gotta be wary of them raiding the stash – they especially love sweet potatoes! 

the vegetable patch hangs out alongside a variety of trees, including a big plum tree, a smaller cherry and a maple in a pot

the backyard (besides the aforementioned vegetable garden) has a few compost bins going and awaiting dreams of a cob-made bread oven (not a pizza oven quite yet) 

One other detail of the bricked-in variety patch is a big ceramic water pot is handy and filled with a ladle on stand-by for easy hydration of the plants and a cover made from board ends leftover from the wall project 

note: we’ve since potted and added a few more flowers to this area (faces the street so want to provide a nice welcome home feeling) will possibly share in a future dispatch