Saturday, April 2, 2011

Getting the Garden Going


I got my exercise today, that's for sure! I had help loading the 9 bags of dirt into the truck, but I unloaded myself. And dug and shoveled and pulled weeds. I moved all of the mulch and weed paper from last year's tomato/herb/cucumber bed to the front "flower bed". Over two hours of cardio and strength training.

I planted the asparagus a couple of weeks ago but did little more than churn up the very center of each bed and add a little manure. Today I have both the back asparagus bed and the "general purpose" bed ready for more planting. I put a few seeds out - carrots, radishes, cucumbers and lettuce. It might be too early, or maybe I should have started all of them inside. Whatever. I'm going with my gut. If everything dies, I'll know better next year.

I want to get one more bed established, but my dear sister is too busy with her own planting and settling in to her new home to get over here and help me. It's okay - I will figure out where to add some tomato plants, at the very least. Last years tomato crop was awesome, and I'm looking forward to a few additions this year.

The green stuff in this photo are my herbs that survived from last year - left to right, rosemary, sage, parsley, thyme, catnip and more rosemary. I had mint in the front flower bed last year, but it didn't make it. The veggies I planted there didn't do well either. I am giving up on that bed - I'll just spread some more mulch and let the few daffodils and tulips left by the previous residents do their thing. I figure if I can't grow mint in that spot, then I can't grow anything there.

P.S. - I almost forgot! Just as I was finishing the last little corner of weeding, I found a snake! (Shhhhh, don't tell Julia, or she might not come help me next week!) It was just a tiny little brown snake. I raked him into the shovel and moved him out of the way. Thank goodness it wasn't a big spider - my gardening days might have been over!

3 comments:

KC said...

Sounds like you have a lot going! Awesome!!!! My rosemary plant in NC did GREAT! In 3 years, it went from 6" tall to about 4' tall. I bet it's probably 6' now! And the thyme takes over pretty well, in both NC and GA (about 3' per plant)! Love that you're a fellow gardener! If you like figs, you ought to grow a fig tree. Mine did much better in NC than here in GA. By the 2nd year, I was getting several quarts of figs and by the 3rd year, I had enough to make fig preserves and can. Best of luck with the veggie garden! I'm looking forward to hearing how it goes throughout the summer! :)

Dineane said...

Yes, I've seen some amazing rosemary in NC! I did actually try to start a fig tree, from a cutting of a friend's tree, and it seems to still be alive, but someone hit it with the lawn mower, so it's less than 2" tall. Don't think I'll be getting figs anytime soon, but I will try again!

Dineane said...

My pitiful little fig stump has leaves! I showed dear hubby, and hope he is more careful with the lawn mower from now on!