So, how is the weather out there in Blogland? 'Cause I gotta tell you, my weather's perfect! I'm talking P.E.R.F.E.C.T. Sunny, cloudless skies, light breezes, warm-but-not-hot temps. Perfect! I've spent the entire weekend outside in the dirt. Wait... in the soil. My ever-willing-to-share-her-knowledge 9-year-old informed me that 'soil' is what the ground's made up of... 'dirt' is what's under my bed. What.Ever.
Anyway, I don't know if I've mentioned this but I decided a while ago I wanted to have a little garden this year. I've actually wanted to have one for a while now but I've always been too busy to get around to it (and by 'busy' I mean 'lazy'). This year, however, I decided things would be different. Since it's been rainy the past couple of weeks, I figured it would be a good time to start digging, as I had to start from scratch and needed the ground to be soft-ish. Given the muck I've been tracking through the house every time I venture in from outside lately, I figured 'soft-ish' was the word of the day. So I picked a flat place at the bottom of the yard, in the sun, and marked off a patch about 7x10 feet. I know that doesn't sound big, but when you have to clear it completely, without the benefit of any sort of mechanical device, it's big enough. I did have this nifty garden tool called a 'Claw'... picture a tiny sort of tiller without an engine. It requires an awful lot of oomph and twisting to dig up a 7x10 plot of earth with a Claw, let me tell you. I used muscles that haven't been used... well, ever. Then the good dirt... errr, soil... had to be removed from the clumps of grass twisted loose by the Claw. That was fun (and by 'fun' I mean 'never-ending') and it enabled me to completely get over my squeamishness about worms. Then I had to go to the garden center and pick up some big (and by 'big' I mean 'heavy as hell') bags of topsoil, which I mixed in with the stuff I had left over from my Claw-ing experience.
And my little patch looks lovely, if I do say so myself! Well, it looks like a 7x10 patch of empty soil but given that it was a 7x10 patch of grass yesterday, I'm quite pleased. I actually had Herself out there with me, for about 4 hours yesterday and 3 today, willingly helping! After a while, though, I had to ask her (and by 'ask' I mean 'order under threat of death') to just stop talking and enjoy the peace and quiet of a perfect spring day. Yeah. It didn't work. It never does. So I let her go, where she 'supervised' me from her favorite perch - high up in 'best climbing tree in the world' (if you can't find Ryan, look in a tree... 9 times out of 10, it's where she'll be). Even Sundance wanted in on the gardening action... and though I could have really used his digging skills (for once), mostly he just plopped himself down in the freshly turned soil and fell asleep in the sun.
Tomorrow we're planting seeds... cucumbers, peas, squash, green beans, and spinach. Tomatoes and pepper plants go in next week. My mouth's already watering...
22 comments:
Good for you!
I was with you on the 'busy' thing....still there I'm afraid :)
It really does sound like a peaceful little escape. It sounds like therapy in a way. I love just listening the sounds of outdoors.
I wish we could have a garden, but we live in an apartment. One day though..One day :)
Yummy! good luck with the garden. I hope you are planning on putting some type of fence up to keep out the friendly ( and by friendly I mean pesky) animals who will see the garden as lunch.
I'm wanting to start a garden too. Except I don't like dirt (soil) or bugs or weeds, or staying with projects that require daily maintenence or waiting on things to "happen".
I might just wait for the farmer's market. You gotta' love those farmers!
Oh, I want a garden! But I rent. So maybe a potted garden...
We've been outside all weekend too just soaking up the sun. We are having our first ever garden this year too and I'm having so much fun. I've started a few seeds indoors and this week and upcoming weekend will be when we start digging up where the garden will be going.
don't forget basil!
Well, the weather was decent yesterday, but today's a bit chilly and snow --- SNOW --- is expected overnight. Hooray.
Y'know, I've seen commercials for that garden claw. I can't say that, historically, I've had much interest in starting a garden, but I can say I've had interest in using the garden claw to soften up some terrain. Those commercials make it look so fun and easy!
Sun? Warmth? Perfect weather? I vaguely remember that these things are good.
It's raining, cold, gray, and miserable here. Did I mention that it's cold? And raining?
Send me some sunshine, Sunshine. I'm dying over here!
AND NOW IT'S SNOWING!
I quit. I'm moving. Tomorrow. Somewhere far, warm, and sunny.
Excellent - love my vegie garden. They feed stomach and soul.
We had the same weather! Just lifts the spirits! And veggie gardens are so great! It is fun to eat what you actually grew ... and wonderful for a kid to work on! Have fun!
I am, of course, expecting that any excess produce is sent my way.
you'll want a tad bit of milkspore, also.
Just a dab at two to four foot spots in and around your garden area. Farther out if you've a large yard with soft leaved bushes and trees.
It gets the japanese beetles while they are grubs.
If you wait for the first wave of attackers, though, which is what most folks do.
Just use soapy water spray. I use 50% dish soap/ 50% water.
I spray it right on the plants andeven the fruits/veggies.
Heck, I wash them when i take them in, anyway.
Good luck!
And then again, even if it doesn't 'fly', you sound like you're getting the best out of it, anyway!
As summer is here and the heat is rising, our veggie season is over...i'm so disappointed :(
I am happy to hear that your weekend was this great! You know how much I love gardening, so I completely understand your joy.;))
I am wishing you a very good luck with the vegetable garden; I am sure it will be a rewarding harvest.;))
This sounds wonderful. We did the same thing about 12 or 15 years ago --dug up grass and planted flowers, herbs and veggies. The yard was so colorful and it was nice to be able to step outside for fresh parsley, chives, dill, basil, sage, and thyme anytime we needed it. And, of course, there is nothing like a fresh-picked tomato.
But now that we are in our 60's with bad backs (both), knee surgery (me), ankle pain (me) and shoulder problems (he), it got to be too much, so my husband planted grass where we had most of the garden, saving enough space for 3-4 tomato plants and two 12-foot rows of pole beans. Even that seemed like a lot of work last year. But we had plenty for us, and I even blanched and froze twenty pounds of beans and made tomato sauce (which I froze ---canning is too much work) ---we still have some from last fall.
Now I've got the old Peter, Paul, & Mary song in my head:
Inch by inch, row by row,
I'm gonna make his garden grow
All it takes is a rake and a hoe.................
Good sowing, harvesting, and eating.
Sounds very wholesome, Diane - Tree-climbing, sunshine, rosy cheeks, vegetables planted in rows, much-loved dog rolling in the dirt - Are you going to be taking up knitting or crochet next?
Really good exercise too, digging - Good for you! I hope you have also built in a spot to sit and enjoy te fruit of your hard labours... xx
excellent diane- digging in the SOIL, planting crops, being OUTSIDE away from blogger.....well done xx
YUM!! Send me some veggies!
That sounds like an awful lot of hard work - but I know you'll be excited when you see your little garden start sprouting.
The weather here was beautiful all weekend, too. Of course it's gray and windy today, but I'm back in cubicle land so I guess that doesn't matter too much.
Diane that is so great that your going to have your very own garden!!!
That is a dream of mine but I live in a big apartment building with no space of my own to plant things. There are community gardens though, and you've inspired me!!! THANK YOU!!!
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