Sunday was Father's Day, so the Hubby and daughter went for a hike. Given this wonderful opportunity, I headed to the garden to do some things that needed doing!
First, I planted a Thyme plant since my seeds failed to sprout.
I weeded of course, and mixed up my mulch. This batch covered a lot more of the garden, but I didn't let the grass clippings cure as long. They were actually a bit wet as well, but heck, they're going to get wet in the garden, right?
The plants are all doing much better now that the soaker hoses are turned on and water the garden twice a day, for 15 minutes each. I do hope I remember to check this next year, so I can tell Hubby how long to set the timer for. Each year we try and remember what we did last year. Oy!
And, drum roll please........... the lettuce is finally up after only about 3 different plantings. And in mid June to boot! If I'm as lucky as I have been in other years, my greens keep going throughout the entire summer, despite the heat. Call it luck, high altitude or Reiki. I'm just not sure which it is, but I am grateful!
My last bit of work was moving my Sun, which was in the front of my
house, to the Perennial Herb Garden. It has faded a bit, and needs some
paint, but I'm quite pleased with it in it's new location. I think
garden art is just fabulous. Now I just need to find the perfect place
for my flamingos.
"Life begins the day you start a Garden. - Chinese Proverb
Finding a good mulch for my garden has been an adventure for me. Two years ago, some good friends of mine (you know who you are :-)), told me that straw was recommended to them as a great mulch. I went to the local Feed Store. They were pretty much out of straw, so they gave me some feed bags, and told me I could take, for free, whatever I could scrap off the ground. I spent about an hour stuffing bags full of dirty straw, but went home happy, and it worked very well.
Last year, I went to the very same Feed Store and purchased what I was told was straw. Now, it could very well have been straw, but I picked wheat out of my garden all summer long. So much for keeping the weeds down!
This year, I spoke with many individuals, from nurseries to backyard gardeners. Each had their own opinion. After listening to all, I've decided to go with a mix of grass clippings and peat moss.
I wish that I had worked this out earlier, since I have to "cure" the grass clippings by leaving them out to dry for a while before I mix in the peat. I have managed to complete one wheelbarrow full. The above is my second round of grass clippings. The first round only covered about 1/8 of the garden. This is going to take a while!
"Gardening is a process, not a product". - unknown
The weather has been a bit on the cool side so far. We've had some nice hot days, but not enough to really get things growing. The greens are getting a good start here and there, but not necessarily taking off. Patience, patience, patience!
You can see from the photo, that the additional soaker hose has been added.
The most exciting news is that the zucchini is up,
and the tea rose is loving it's new home in the perennial herb garden!
I'm getting a grip on why the book, Teaming With Microbes,
states that too many cats are not good for the soil food web. I have one feline in particular that enjoys taking a nice morning pee in the garden. I have of course strongly discouraged this, but one can only do so much with cats!
"Be pleased with your garden, don't pursue the perfection of a picture. What you see in a photo lasted only as long as the shuttle's snap". - Janet Macunovich
Another weekend in the garden. My weeks have been so busy that I have only had time on the weekends. My ability to tolerate this is because the seeds are just beginning to come up into plants. It's probably best that I have been busy.
Now, for the exciting news! Hubby
mounted the hose caddy to the outside wall on the perennial herb garden
side. I used it this morning to water the herbs and potted peppers. It
was so much easier than dragging the hose from the back of the house
around to the garden. Woo hoo!
Hubby also laid the soaker hoses into the NEW RAISED BED yesterday too! We had to add a second hose since the bed is bigger now. The watering went off this morning at 7:00am without a hitch. Engineers are so nice to have around the house!
Much to be thankful for!
"Watching something grow is good for morale. It helps us believe in life." - Myron S. Kaufman
