Fast Forward

It is now spring.  At least the calender says it is suppose to be spring.  It is wet and cold.  It is also getting late in the season for starting seeds inside. Mother Earth News says I should have done this two months ago instead of now in April.  The potatoes should have been in the ground last month.  Oh well...onward..."onward Christian soooldeer..ers marching off to war..." oops sorry breaking into song happens often...I can be annoying that way...getting side tracked is another trait I harbour.  Any way dealing with the garden I sometimes feel like I am arming myself for battle...

~mud boots or hiking boots turned garden boots
~old riding pants turned garden pants (more comfortable and fit better than jeans and cover legs from
       bugs)
~gloves
~hat
~shovel, hoe, rake
~bug spray (for me and the horses)

Okay, last fall I tilled a garden space on ground that had been used for burn piles to burn fallen limbs, etc.  The burn pile that had been here also included beer cans, garden hoses, whole windows, floor tiles, trash and other various non-burnable objects.  I had to clear off those non-burnable, possible toxic objects before we could burn.  That all happened in late summer '10. 

Just letting you know all the hard work that went into just getting to the ground so that it could become a beautiful, lushes green garden.  So the steps:
1) clear off non-burnable junk
2)burn pile (thank you hubby!)
3)rake through post burn pile picking out all the metal, glass and tin that was left. (note to self: wait till pile has cooled before attempting to pick up metal)
4) till garden
5) determine it is too late to grow cover crop
6) cover plot with manure (see.. horses are good to have around), kelp, algae or pond weeds..whatever that green stuff was I pulled from the pond, and moldy alfalfa
7)till again
8)cover with moldy hay
9)let sleep (the garden and me!)

Whew, that was hard work, but fun!

Now it is time to wake up the garden.  The weather finally cooperated and it was dry enough to till again (tiller again borrowed from super duper friend Steve).  I planted corn and potatoes, and asparagus outside April 2nd/3rd.  Yes, I know it is late for potatoes as some kind gentleman pointed out in the store as I bought them. But, hey....at least I got them in the ground.  I also planted seeds inside for three types of tomatoes(Roma, big boy and grape), watermelon, pumpkin, zucchini, yellow squash, and cucumbers.

See how wet the garden is...this is late April

Potatoes!!!! They still grew even though I planted them later that recommended!
Rewards for all that hard work.

Blessings
la

Flashback-Fall 2010

I tilled my garden to be!  What fun AND hard work. The tiller was great, borrowed from our awesome friend Steve.  It was the operator that had problems.  Achy shoulders and tired legs.

I kept imagining what I was going to plant where: corn in top corner so it doesn't cast shadows on other plants, tomatoes should go in the north part too, carrots next to tomatoes, pumpkins and watermelons in southwest corner so they can creep out .... What a lush, green garden I was going to have.  I have plans...BIG plans for this garden.   Subscriptions to Mother Earth News and Grit to read up on gardening. Checking books out at the library.  Gotta be careful there, takes talent to make dirt and weeds and bugs interesting.

So many decisions to be made before I plant a single seed.  Do I cover crop or is it too late in the season? Start a compost pile now or wait? How to make the compost container?  Decisions, decisions.

Guess I better get back to the library and start reading....

Blessings
la

Well now that I am here and set up I can't think of anything to say! Iguess introductions are in order...my name is Leigh Ann and I live in Kansas on 100 acres (and yes, they are green).  I have:
1-husband
2-children (1-daughter-in-law)
1-granddaughter
2-horses
2-dogs
7-casts (use to have 9)
various other varmits like skunks, possums, and coyotes.
1- large weed covered garden

These take up most of my time.  That and numerous Tivo recordings.

This is my first year gardening and I hope to keep track of my progress, or lack thereof, here. I hope to learn from my blunderings and am open to suggestions or insites. 

So...tomorrow I will start at the begining and try to catch everything up.

Sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite!

Blessings
la