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It is so hard for me to be patient. I want to get all the green things planted and growing! But we could get another cold snap, so I have to wait for most things. There are a few things though that I need to get started on. Last weekend I had a huge list of projects I needed to do. One huge project (unloading an actual TON of pig feed from the back of the truck) was added that was not on my list. Of course, I did not get to everything, but I did get a lot accomplished. I love the feeling of accomplishment and being exhausted at the end of the day from working on projects that I can see progress on.
Redecorating
We ripped out some very spikey decorative plants that were in my way between the raised garden beds and the wall for the herb garden. I will be moving my composter to this nice flat spot so I will have easy access from both the garden and the kitchen. One of my big picture goals this year is to work on my soil and getting serious about compost is part of my plan. For me to do this, I need to make the process as easy as possible
Getting some plants in the ground
I added three new Concord grape vines to our variety of grapes. The other grapes we have are tiny and full of seeds. They are wine grapes not table grapes so I wanted some we can eat fresh. Luckily, we already had the posts in place for a whole new section so all I have left to do is add the wire for them to climb up.
I put my new blueberry bushes in a temporary pot. I have to get my new fence put up to protect them from the deer before they can go in their permanent location in the new larger garden. I did plant the raspberries in the new garden area. They are going to be far enough from the fence that they won’t get trampled, and they are just sticks right now. It should give me a little time before the deer find them but still keep the urgency on my project. I am planning to start red raspberries from a friend so the ones I bought are a yellow raspberry. Right now, we have wild raspberries up the hill but that is a hike and they are so thorny. Don’t get me wrong, they are delicious, and I will still go up and pick but I am really looking forward to the higher yields I will get from these other varieties.
Lettuce, turnips, radishes and peas went directly into the garden beds. We are not past our last frost date but I am in a slightly warmer microclimate and the only thing that I am concerned about is the lettuce, which I plan to stagger plantings of anyway, so if a few don’t make it I will have some later.
I prepped the spot for my potatoes. This year I am trying something new that I just learned about. First, I put down a big section of weed cloth, then I put about 6 inches of good garden soil on top. I will put my potatoes down then a bit more dirt and then mulch. It is an experiment that I have heard good things about so I we shall see.
Next weekend
The other things that are supposed to go in the ground right now are my onions. Unfortunately, they are going where the strawberries and weeds are currently taking over the world. I did not plan this one through very well. The strawberries have to be moved so I can get the onions in the ground. Strawberries actually grow well with onions, but it is just so overgrown with weeds that I really want to get them pulled out and start fresh. I also have a couple of old neglected blueberries in that bed and a scraggly blackberry. They all need some love and I am hoping that moving them into the new section and giving them some good compost will be just what they need.
