Busy, busy farm interns/WWOOFers

Our interns have been very busy lately, helping with various projects around the farm. This week, Christina took over the construction of a dry creek bed in Jorene's shade garden. She may have found her vocational calling in landscape design.

First, we scraped off the top two inches of soil in the shape that we wanted the creek.


Then, she began laying the rocks Rhianna and I hauled out of the woods to form the dry creek bed.


Brutus came along to inspect and stole one of Christina's favorite rocks.


The finished product! Good job, Christina.


Meanwhile, Rhianna had the glorious job of helping me install a French drain on the same side of the lodge. The old drain was covered with clay soil and had become clogged with gravel that was too small for the drain, so we had to replace it. I had a friend with an excavator dig most of the soil out of the trench, but I still had to do some hand digging. Next, we cleaned off the masonry block with wire brushes.


Then, we painted the wall with a sticky, asphalt material that will waterproof the masonry block.


Then, we placed the perforated drain pipe in just below the foundation. I plan to cover the pipe with 1" gravel to insure good drainage away from the house.


Rhianna also mulched all of our flower beds with wood shaving that we get from a local log home builder.