Been a while since I’ve updated how the garden is going. Of course we’re mostly in shutdown mode like everyone else but it certainly doesn’t mean there’s not plenty to do. Here’s some examples:
- Hoping to plant some garlic this weekend.
- Need to start planning the cold frame we’ve been blessed with material for.
- Have a bunch of brush to chip and more to clear.
- The garage needs some work now that it’s cooled down (I write on a nearly 80°F day).
- I put down cardboard for next year’s garden expansion the other day. Need a bit more cardboard to really cover what I want, but that will also kill off the thickest and fastest growing patch of grass so bonus! We’re going to chip the brush right on what I put down so it’ll also save some pain on that front too.
- Need to transplant our strawberries because we’ve decided to move them and the blueberries over by the blackberries to have a little berry patch. Blueberries have to wait a bit longer to be moved from what I’ve read.
All that and the thoughts of a bunch of other stuff I need to add to the list for next year. The Master Gardener stuff is going to wind up motivating me too much if I’m not careful.
#blueberries #coldFrame #gardening #garlic #strawberries
Today’s harvest was two little pumpkins, three butternut squash and some San Marzano tomatoes. Another 3-4 squash have been attacked by the random wildlife of the yard. A fair offering I suppose.
I also got four more leaves of tobacco from our volunteer plants. The previous bundle of leaves is almost cured. It’s not quite my Papaw’s barn but at least I can get a hint of those wonderful memories by having a sniff of the few dried leaves we have.
#butternutSquash #pumpkins #tomatoes #tobacco #gardening
I’ve spent most of my free time over the last week removing grass from bits of the yard so we could expand our garden this year. Between a broadfork, a pitchfork, a wheelbarrow, time, and sweat we managed to get it cleared yesterday.
This morning I took to the broadfork once more to loosen up the soil in two of what will end up being three patches in the newly widened area. Next weekend I’ll be finishing up that final area so we can get some tomatoes in the ground.
With that out of the way we planted:
- Bunching and regular onions
- Carrots
- Red and Bibb lettuce
- Kale
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Corn
The corn will be joined by her other sisters (squash and beans) once ready. There are peppers, celery, leeks, and maybe some decorative gourds to come as well. Salsify will be planted a bit later in the year.
In other areas I planted hyssop, love lies bleeding and threw a few pumpkin seeds into the back corner of the yard. If they grow, they grow. I didn’t feel like dealing with the pumpkins taking over a chunk of the yard again though, thus why i chose that place for them.
It’s been fantastic to finally get my hands in the dirt and break a good, well-earned sweat. The robins have been thrilled too, getting their fill of grubs and worms each step of the way.
All-in-all, a Good Day.
#gardening
One year ended and another began for me yesterday. They come faster each time; some unknown result of Einstein’s relativity I presume.
In the birthday card from my mom, along with a beaten $20 bill ( — wait a second… doesn’t my son get $50? ), were some folded up pages from an old day planner. affixed was a post-it note:
this is a peace that your Dad wrote on your 21st birthday
found it in a Draw. Do what you want read it or throw it away
Mom
It’s put me in a weird state. Not sure what to do. not sure why I don’t know what to do. I can’t say I had a horrible relationship with my father, just a distance as I got older. Some of it the disillusionment that occurs as one gets older and their view of an elder changes. They’re not as infallible as you once believed as a youth. Of course there was the same friction many families feel as their politics no longer align and it only got worse as Trump rolled around. So many of us have been through that.
The little packet has been sitting on my monitor stand ever since it arrived. I’ve had no desire to open it yet but I can’t bring myself to throw it out. I’m seriously considering sticking it in a time capsule we were planning to bury this year. Running from something, passing it along for future me to deal with or giving myself a chance to get ready?
TBH, I almost didn’t post this. It feels a bit heavy for any early post in an attempt to blog more, but then I realized this is maybe what I need out of this process? Some way to open up a bit more? Become more comfortable with being me with all the flaws, fears and fuckery that involves?
Ugh, I just wanted a few bucks and some cake…
#personal