After weeks of hard work, it's so great to finally see a project come to fruition - especially when it involves the restoration of my pergola.
Soon after moving to my farm, I built a winding 300-foot pergola along one side of a carriage road leading to my home. It was made using wooden beams supported by antique granite posts. After more than 20-years, it was time to replace the timeworn wood with new cedar beams and rafters. I designed the tail pattern and carpentry master Dmitri Logvinski of Logvinski Construction LLC went to work. Dmitri measured, cut, and meticulously checked every angle to ensure the pieces were installed to perfection. He also corrected any posts that had shifted, even slightly, over the years. It was an arduous task, but it is now complete and looks wonderful.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Earlier this month, all the wooden lintel, or horizontal, support beams and rafters were removed from the pergola, leaving just these antique granite posts.
If you follow this blog regularly, the beams and rafters were already made and painted my signature “Bedford Gray.” They were all transported to the pergola, so work could begin.
Each beam is selected carefully and measured. It must reach from the center of one post to the center of the next.
Because the distance between the posts is different along the entire space, Dmitri makes a slight adjustment to make sure the beams fit perfectly.
This image shows the cut – it is very small, but makes a big difference.
Next, Dmitri uses a homemade template to cut out a center notch using a router. A router is a handheld power tool designed to hollow out areas in wood or other hard materials.
This notched groove will help to secure the long screws at the top of each post.
Dmitri paints the end of the wood where he cut. It will not be seen, but the wood will be protected more from the elements in years to come.
Dmitri checks the post. Many of them have moved over the years. Each one is measured and re-straightened and leveled.
Here is Dmitri checking how straight it is – even the smallest tilt could alter the way the beams and rafters are positioned.
This post needs a bit of a push to get it level.
The beam is then hand lifted and positioned on the post. These cedar support beams are very strong and sturdy, weather-proof and fine-grained, making it popular to use for outdoor building projects. The long screw in the notch will help keep the beam from moving.
Dmitri screws the beams together from the bottom which helps to prevent water damage to the hole and the surrounding wood.
Here are two beams secured on a post.
Sometimes, because the granite posts are not level on top, slight cuts are made to make the wooden pieces completely level. Dmitri shaves a bit off…
… and again, paints over it with primer and stain.
Next are the horizontal rafters. I conceived and designed the rafter tail pattern.
Dmitri lifts one rafter up and selects the smoother side to face toward the carriage road, so guests see the best view.
Because the pergola is curved, each rafter is installed at a slightly different angle. Dmitri is a very talented and skilled craftsman. He checks and rechecks every measurement multiple times to ensure the angles are correct.
Here he is moving this rafter just an inch over. Dmitri says he enjoys working with angles. In fact, his mother was an engineer and taught him a lot about geometry at an early age. It became his favorite subject, and the prtractor his favorite tool.
Every rafter is level and perfectly aligned.
Here is a view from under the pergola rafters. My previous pergola was built with horizontal supports and then notched perpendicular rafters. This design is much better and will last longer.
This shows one of the more curved sections. It looks so beautiful and artistic.
And here I am with Dmitri. I’m so pleased with how it looks and can’t wait to take more photos when the gardens are in full bloom. Thanks Dmitri!!!
Here at my farm, my gardeners and outdoor grounds crew are working hard in the vegetable garden - planting some of the season's first crops, removing old roots and other debris, and reinforcing the raised garden beds.
I built my half-acre vegetable garden in the spring of 2023. I designed it to have about 50 raised garden beds of varying sizes and created a very precise map showing exactly how big each bed would be. It's now two years old, and I'm so pleased with how well it has done. I've grown so many wonderful and delicious vegetables for my family. To keep it looking and performing its best, it's important to maintain the space and the beds. Recently, I noticed the white oak wooden frames starting to show some wear, but instead of replacing entire boxes, I reinforced them, making them much stronger and more appealing.
Here are photos, enjoy.
I can’t wait until my vegetable garden is once again filled with delicious produce. It’s always such a joy to walk the few steps from my Winter House and pick fresh, organic vegetables.
I work with my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, to plan what crop will be planted in what box. We rotate the crops every year and plant in succession, so there is always something wonderful to harvest.
All the garden beds are made with strong white oak, but over the seasons with so much soil amending, watering, and regular weathering, some of the raised bed frames began to wear. This side of a bed is warping.
And on this bed, some of the wooden boards are weakened and becoming misaligned. Replacing all of the beds would have been time consuming and costly, but it was important to repair the beds for the new growing season, so a plan was devised to reinforce the existing frames.
I ordered some wood from Mauricio Guevara, owner of New England Lumber Inc., in Mount Kisco, New York and Westport, Connecticut.
This is also naturally straight-grained white oak.
Pete measures each bed precisely. Remember the old adage, “measure twice, cut once.”
Fernando helps to deliver the wood to the saw right on site. I always encourage my crew to bring all the right tools for the right job.
Here’s Pete cutting the boards carefully and accurately.
Each board is placed by the bed to ensure the sizes are perfect. Eight pieces are needed for each bed.
Pete and Fernando clamp the new wooden board pieces to the existing frame.
Here, they also clamp one side to the other to help align them properly if needed.
Pete uses a hammer to level the top new piece with the existing piece.
A spare piece of wood helps Pete check and straighten the bottom.
Then Pete makes a pilot hole for the screw. Pilot holes help prevent splitting and allow for easier and less forceful screwing.
Fernando follows with three-inch screws in the same pilot holes.
From above, the frame is bolstered on all sides.
Next, Pete screws boards along the top to add strength and durability to perpendicular boards.
And here is what it looks like once the supporting pieces are all secured.
This is my long asparagus bed. The newly reinforced sides are now much stronger and perfectly straight. The special caps are used to block sunlight from the growing spears to make white asparagus.
These beds are looking so much better already and the job will be done in time for transplanting. I hope this inspires you to repair and reinforce your raised garden beds if needed. Enjoy the gardening weekend!
I've been raising chickens for so long, I can't even remember not having these wonderful creatures.
Right now, I have 29 precious chicks in residence - Araucanas, Ayam Cemanis, and Marans. The peeps came from eggs laid here at my farm and then incubated and hatched inside my chick room at the stable. All of them are healthy, alert, and very curious. They will remain in a large cage until they are big enough to move to their own enclosure and coop, and then into the chicken yard with the other adults.
Enjoy these photos.
Perfect eggs – all laid by my healthy hens here at the farm.
The eggs are placed into the incubator where they are safe from other birds and closely monitored until they hatch. Chicken eggs take 21-days. While the eggs incubate, they are automatically turned once a day, 45-degrees each way, back and forth during this period.
At about day-seven and again at day-14, Helen “candles” each one, meaning she holds each egg against a light, turning it slowly, to observe the embryo inside. Fertilized, growing embryos can be identified by visible blood vessels, a large dark spot or filled space in the egg. This egg looks to have a developing chick inside.
This egg looks pretty clear all the way through, so it’s likely there is no growing embryo in this one.
From days 17 to 21, they’re placed into this hatching cabinet, where it is still warm. The eggs are spaced apart in sections where it is safe and where eggs cannot roll during the hatching process.
After the chicks hatch, they are placed into this cage in the same room. The room is kept very warm and the chicks are checked often. Baby chicks need constant monitoring until they are at least a month old. Chicks require an air temperature of 95 degrees during the first week, 90 degrees the second week, and so on – going down by around five degrees per week until they’re ready to transition to the coop.
And here is just one of the chicks – nothing short of adorable.
These youngsters are less than a week old, but they are already very mobile and exploring their surroundings.
These chicks all have clear eyes and are very alert.
My stable manager, Helen, who is also very experienced in raising chickens, makes sure the cage bedding is changed daily.
Chickens have their own personalities – some are more active or more curious than others.
The chicks are fed organic chick starter for the first six to eight weeks. Helen mixes in a little water to make it more palatable for the young birds.
Starter feed is a protein dense variety of chicken feed designed to meet a chick’s dietary requirements. Several feeding dishes are placed into the cage.
A chick should never have to “wait in line”. On average, about 10-chicks can consume approximately one-pound of chick starter feed per day.
Fresh, clean water is also always provided. In fact, every chick is personally shown where their food and water sources are, so they know where to find them.
It’s hard not to notice the large feet, but it won’t take long before these birds grow into them.
In general, chickens are quite vocal. They make around 30 different calls to communicate with each other, expressing everything from “I am hungry” to “there’s a predator nearby.”
These peeps are also very social and where one goes, the others follow.
I’ve raised many different chicken breeds and varieties over the years – they are all so fun to observe.
Chickens are generally gentle, shy birds, but because these are being raised around a lot of activity, they will be well-socialized and friendly.
I am so happy with this group of chicks – they are all strong good eaters, and will be great additions to my flock.
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