!! SEPP to Boot: Stephen's Experience (BEL)

Thanks, Stephen, I was wondering how the lemon tree site was doing. And a big welcome to Auren, Chris, Seth and the other new boots!

I decided we would harvest the daikon radishes in the Truly Passive Greenhouse. The vegetables were nowhere near as impressive as the foliage...

Learning point for harvest or use of biennial plants that seed the second year.  Once day length and warmth increase what has been stored in the root will be used to start an abundance of vegetative growth to produce the seed head.  
So if root is the desired harvest it must be kept cold and dark.  If greens is the desired harvest that can be done a small amount at a time until the seed stalk develops or al at once.  If the seed is desired then limit the harvest of greens.
Due to poor planning some beets were very small so they were left to produce greens (and reds) and I will still get enough seeds for my needs.

BEL #755

While hiking up at the Lab today, we re-discovered the first water pump in Wheaton Labs history.



The team and I made some significant progress today on the most-intimidating layer of the GAMCOD hugel berm. I think we'll have it finished and ready to plant by the end of next week, for sure.



Back at Basecamp, the team picked all the sunchokes/Jerusalem Artichokes they could find from the berms along the driveway. We then re-planted them on the berm of Turtle Lot facing the road. It'll be nice to see that berm completely covered with tall, green stalks and little yellow flowers later this year.

The team, from left to right: Jared/JP, Chris, Auren, Geoffrey, and Seth.



In the last hour of the day, our passenger van - Toots - decided to break the power steering belt...! It was fun turning around, though at least we weren't already up on the mountain.



That's all for now. Thanks for reading, and enjoy your day...!

JP knows style when he sees it! 🤠

BEL #756

It's transitioning to the time of year when I can consistently see the sunrise as I head out of the tent in the morning... What a start.



Here, Geoffrey (left) and Seth add more steps to the hugel berm just outside the house, in the backyard paddock.



The rest of us were gardening, plucking out grass. So once Geoffrey and Seth were done, I let them take it easy... By cleaning seeds out of pumpkins that were well past their prime.



Meanwhile, the rest of us went back up to Complexity Trail to clear out close to an additional 100 feet. Here's Auren (distant left), Chris (center) and Jared takin' care of business.



To wrap up the day, we wanted to do some "roundwood chair surgery." Here's our main binding agent - pine pitch - being melted under Auren's careful watch.



Geoffrey, Seth, and Jared look down on our patient during a rare flat-lined moment. Can we resuscitate? Should we resuscitate...?!?!?



That's all for now. Thanks for reading, and enjoy your day...!