School Picture, rabbit hutch part 1, and plants

School Picture


 The teachers at the Dondometeng Junior High School picked a material to make shirts and dresses as Monday wear. This Monday was the first time we were all present and all wearing the matching uniforms.
From left to right:
Front row: Mary Madeline, Thomas, Christopher (Headmaster), Vivian, and Pascal
Back row: Christopher, Jonas, John, and Roland


Rabbit hutch part 1


 I got most of the material that I need to start building the rabbit hutches this week. The lumber here is rough saw boards that can be planed for an extra fee. I don't need a smooth finish, but it does mean that the wood will be different thicknesses and widths. I can't be sure of any straight surfaces. I also only have a crosscut saw to cut the wood - no mitre box, circular saw, etc. 

 I bought three approximately 6.5 by 2.75 inch boards from a relatively heavy wood (split just over 2 inches to get three per board). Most of the support structure will be from this wood.

 The rest of the lumber is called wauwau boards (lighter weight) and were originally about 10 by 1 inch. I got 3 boards split into 4 and 1 board split into 5.  Because the width was not consistent and imperfections in the wood the number of usable boards I have was less that I expected.
Lumber that will hopefully become rabbit hutches

If this sounds like I am making excuses - it is because I am preemptively making excuses and you are very perceptive.  I'll be posting my progress each week, hoping that I make progress each week.

 I have cut most of the major boards to support the cages. The front vertical boards are 92 inches tall while the back ones are 80 inches. The horizontals for the front and back are 97 inches long. I still need to cut the side pieces which will be around 34 inches. I'm having to readjust the dimensions based on cutting around the serious imperfections in the wood. 
I'll us the heavy welded mash for the bottom of the cages topped with the small wire.

I'm sticking to my general plan to build 5 cages (two levels three on the bottom for two does and a buck) and two larger cages on top for kindling (doe having bunnies) and rearing (getting bunnies ready for market).

 I almost changed my plans from having structure one cage wide to having cages on the front and back.  I would need my side pieces to be 50, rather than 34 inches, give me more but slightly smaller cages.  However, I don't have enough lumber for that.

 I decided to go with the larger cages as research indicates that the number of rabbits born is generally better with larger cages.  Also my doors will be the full front of the cage so I will have feed and water access in the back if possible.  I'll try these out and see how to make improvements after I get some experience.

Potted plants


 I wanted show some of the plants I'm growing in the my back enclosed patio. The large plant is a sweet potato vine. We don't get many options for green leafy food in the dry season and the leaves that are sold in market are a lot for one person (and they don't last long in the heat)  I waste most if I buy some.  In season they sell a number of different leaves including sweet potato, bean, pumpkin, and a host of more indigenous leaves. I harvest enough sweet potato leaves to add to a meal once a week.  The things you do to get a somewhat balanced diet in the Upper West region of Ghana.   

Sweet potato vine in back.  Ebony tree seedling to the right and then spearmint trying to escape the pot with basil behind.

Eventually, I'll give the vines to Roger so he can plant sweet potatoes in his field.  I might keep a couple of vines for leaves for me or the rabbits.  (My dad never liked eating rabbit food.)

 I got seeds for basil, spearmint, and oregano from my relatives in New Jersey. The basil and spearmint to the right of the sweet potato (above) are doing well. I will be getting more pots to propagate the mint now that it is trying to escape.  

 The plant in the bag (above) between the sweet potato and the mint is an ebony seedling.  If it survives and the animals don't get it, it could be a relatively good size tree in 20 years.


Pineapple in front.  The tall plant in the back is orka and then the basil

I also planted a pineapple which is doing well.  Pineapples grow in the south, but not here with the dry season.  I'll transplant that after the animals are tied up and see if it I can get a single pineapple for my efforts. The tall plant in the back is okra (okro here) which should have been transplanted at least to a larger container some time ago.
The three bags on the left are tomatoes.  No peppers in the three on the right.
Pot in the background is the oregano that survived and hopefully continue to grow.

I planted oregano, basil, and spearmint at the same time.  The oregano plant started out the best and had almost filled the pot before I over or under watered it or had it back to much in the sun.  The small plant in the pot is the only oregano plant the survived.  I added a few more seeds and two plants have sprouted.  Now that the dry season is just about over I hope to nurse it back so I can propagate and transplant. I need to source to replenish my stock of basil and oregano. 

 I have three tomato plants in the plastic bags to the left which should be enough for my use. The tomato seeds that I planted had a high germination rate. I also planted bell peppers, twice, which seem to have a 0% germination rate.

 I planted seeds in some of the zai trenches.  I read that in the dry climate you should plant to seeds deeper than I would in the states.  I don't know if I planted them too deep, if they have not yet sprouted, or if my germination rate is low.  We've not have much rain in the last two weeks (one small shower) since I planted to first set of seeds.

 The zai trenches are an experiment.  I dug five sets of three trenches (20 cm, 15, cm, and 10 cm) with no trench for control to see if the trenches provide any advantage.  I hope to have some results are the season progresses.

 I ordered some seeds from Echo Community - a non-profit that provides a small number of seeds to development workers including Peace Corps volunteers.  Unfortunately my first order was lost in the flaky internet between Ghana and Florida.  I hope to receive the soon so I can test them out.  However, getting mail up to my area takes a long time.  I'm still waiting for a "save the date" letter from Samantha.

Health update.


 No news is good news.  I'm fine and safe.

 People may have heard about the serious flooding and a gas explosion in Accra, the capital of Ghana.  All Peace Corps volunteers and staff are safe although it has been a serious disaster with a significant loss of life and property.  I'm about as far away from Accra as you can get and still remain in Ghana.
Love always,

 John

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