Last week we moved the furniture from the back porch to the front and finished staining the rest of the back together, which went much quicker than when I did it alone. 

Cliff did this part last year but weather exposed areas need it yearly. 

Placing furniture on the open porch gives it a true North Carolina feel. Georgia and Tennessee families also add a refrigerator, a couch, and sometimes a washing machine to their porch decor.

Arranged furniture to reflect a North Carolina feng shui appeal and a path to the back.  Next time we get 3 or 4 drying days, we'll finish this last piece of porch and the steps.........until fall when this part will need a refresh.

Potatoes drying before planting.

In the back raised bed, sugar snap peas beginning to trellis the jute teepee. This year I'm trying a different method for potatoes that I read about in Mother Earth News Magazine.  Using a 2'x2', 4'x4', or 6'x6' raised bed prepared with compost,decaying leaves, and soil loosened to a depth of about 6"-8", potatoes are planted as usual.  I was able to fit 16 pieces in my 4'x4'.  In about 3 weeks sprouts will break through.  When the greens are a couple of inches high, layer enough soil  to cover the growth adding more side boards to contain the new layer.  When the potato plants reach through that layer, repeat the process, adding height to the sides as needed.  This can be repeated about 4 times.  Theory has it that forcing the plants to continuously seek sun and adding fertile soil gives the plant plenty of soil and nutrition to produce abundant potatoes.  I also set another 15 potatoes in a row as I usually do to compare my potato yield in late June.  I like the square theory as it doesn't take as much room and seems it will be easier to care for as the potato plants grows.  The difficulty in driving stakes into a mountain garden is hitting rock below the tilled soil which limits where you place the stakes, but it keeps Cliff busy and out of the local bars.