Vidya has been selling beaucoup gourd giraffes. For many of them she uses dipper gourds which aren’t that available to buy so I am resurrecting a abandoned project to build a gourd trellis. Dipper gourds grown on the ground get a curved handle. On a trellis they grow straight due to the influence of gravity.
I used to competitively grow long handled dippers and once won a blue ribbon for an 83″ (211 cm). The trellis project was originally intended for that so when I started declining into End Stage Liver Disease it was abandoned as being lower priority.
A shout out to Bhima Walker who came when I was sick and set some of the posts. The last piece fell into place when Gopish gave me some 15 foot pieces of steel that were left over from a project he was doing. They will span the posts. I have some addition recycled aluminum struts that will be used between the spanning steel.
I have several rolls of recycled cyclone fence that have been waiting on pallets for about 5 years to be used.
Last fall I worked up the ground, spread lime, and sowed rye on the plot but it was so wet during the early part of the summer I never was able to proceed on getting it prepared for 2009 planting, plus I lacked the energy to do the construction part.
I am feeling better this fall so Tulasi and I spread compost on it and I tilled it up.
Now I have to get the spans up and enclose it so I can plant rye on it. I learned last year the deer will eat the rye if not protected.
I threw it up into beds so it will dry out quicker even in a wet spring. I was waiting for a little rain, which has happened, to germinate weed seeds so when I plant the rye the raking in will destroy them. We are going to the Ohio Gourd Show today so when I return next week the rye will go in as soon as it is dry enough.
Next spring I will till in the rye and plant dipper gourds that will mostly end up being giraffes. They will grow in 2010 and be cured for crafting for the 2011 shows.
Other garden projects go on also, not mentioned herein,and I am starting to plant sections of the veggie garden into rye as they come out of production, like where potatoes were I have already dug.
