Looks like, clever person that I am, I’ll be growing food this summer. I hadn’t planned on it. My plan was to tear out the raised beds and reclaim my yard from the dogs (if possible) but given that going to the store is what it is in these days… Sadly, I missed the golden hour to order seeds, but they’re still on their way. I can’t put stuff outside until June 1, and I usually start seeds too soon. This year I won’t.
Yesterday I opened the composter (I didn’t even open it last year). It’s so dry here that the compost is more desiccated than decayed, kind of like the Dead Sea Scrolls. The banana peels are still legible in places…
I stirred it all around like burger in a skillet, pulling up the lower layers (2015) and pushing down the older layers (2018), dragging out indomitable strands of zucchini vines and the allegedly compostable bags from my kitchen composter (which I tossed). When I’d worked it over good, I decided it would be a good augmentation to the tired soil in the beds. I loaded up the Worx Aerocart (wheelbarrow) and went to work. The bed with more shade will have Swiss chard and salad veggies. The bed with more sunlight will have Scarlet Emperor beans, tomatoes and Genovese basil — and I will attempt again an Australian pumpkin ❤
Nasty weather here, though. Sunny, breezy, 60ish, dry, according to some people, “glorious spring weather.” I find it gruesome, but any good farmer knows there’s nothing to do about the weather. Bear isn’t faring so well. Some of her day is spent searching the yard for somewhere cool, reminiscent of a normal April. I’m putting ice cubes in a bag and saving them so when I get enough, I can make her a “happy place” out there. Three years ago we got a foot of snow at this point in the year. It was THE BEST for all of us as well as for the barley which is now emerging from the winter fields.
Well, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
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Good luck with your garden. 🙂
I do think by summer we’ll have free access to stores again, though — barring more unforeseen turn-ups. 😉
I love your optimism and I really hope you’re right. I’ve always grown these things and a few days ago I remembered how nice it is to go outside and pick salad for dinner then it hit me, “Hmmm maybe a good idea this year.” I kind of think this is going to be my life until they find a vaccine or I get sick. 🙂
Poor Bear. How is Teddy holding up?
Teddy likes EVERY kind of weather. He’s just a happy guy no matter what.
I’ve been thinking about trying to grow a few veggies, too, although it’s discouraged in our complex because of pests. For some reason, it didn’t occur to me that I could order seeds — thanks for the idea! Bear will be happy to know that we are having another storm — it’s gray and damp here today, and is supposed to rain hard through Wednesday and maybe into Thursday. That should bring you some cooler moisture in the next few days too!
From your fingers to the ears of the sky. Poor Bear!!!
I had my first tomato seed sprout today, indoors of course, as we had lots of snow yesterday. It looks and feels like January, but sounds like spring here! Bear would be in his element.
“No, Bear. We’re not traveling” Poor sweet girl.
If you have a freezer, fill some bottles (rinsed detergent, milk, or half to gallon juice bottles) with water and freeze them. It may take a couple of days but they are lovely for the heat intolerant animal friends to drape themselves over or just rest a head on when it is too hot outside for them… A trick we used for 4-H fair animals when July/August was causing heat stress… I bet Bear would love to cozy up to a gallon of ice!! And the nice thing is you can wash them off and refreeze!
That is a GREAT idea! Bear WOULD love that.
Impressive and smart to have a garden in your backyard. There is nothing like homegrown tomatoes! A vaccine or sickness? Those are scary options as a vaccine is a ways off (I think – but then who knows what to believe…). Every time I go to the grocery store, I hope I beat the odds. Good luck with your new adventure 🙂
I remember as child reading all those seed catalogs in winter in anticipation of the coming spring. They were as exciting as any novel.
This year I didn’t pay attention because I wasn’t going to garden. I was going to replant the lawn. Plans have changed, and I wish I’d ordered sooner.
What? I missed that vital news. Is it unseasonably warm or is anything over freezing hot for Bear?
It will be nice to get out in the garden. It eases the mind, and herbs are delicious. You can eat the pumpkin flowers too. I picked a pumpkin the other day. Yippee.
It’s a little warmer than usual, but not much and we could still have a hard freeze (“and snow?”) Bear just really likes the cold. She’ll get used to this, but it did happen kind of suddenly. Yeah, I will do my garden. Back in the 80s and at various times since, I’ve enjoyed gardening, but here it’s war between me and Bear’s huge feet and love of digging. If I could figure out a way to win without putting up a fence… but there doesn’t seem to be any.
The helpful diggers do make gardening challenging. That is why I have multitude wire compost panels that I place around my precious plants and vegetable gardens. The dogs still have lots of space to dig. The grass is a preferred spot as is underneath my hydrangeas. Fortunately they seem to cope well with the aeration.
I figured out a solution today. I’ll probably write about it tomorrow. 🙂
P.S. Yay on the pumpkin!!!!
It’s always a happy day when we get a pumpkin off the vine. 🙂