Outdoors, finally!
After a few sputtering starts, the springy stuff is in progress. Some of my raised beds are put together and awaiting dirt. The others are drilled and waiting to be put together. Last weekend I received delivery of a dump truck load of lovely loam. Non-gardeners may not understand why a pile of dirt is cause for celebration and fondling, but my fellow gardeners are nodding their heads. I actually did a little happy dance as the truck was pulling away and I think he saw me in his rearview mirror. At least, I assume that's why he started laughing.
Tomorrow we plan to get several bales of straw to mulch the walkways between the beds. I also need to start making my hoops for the row covers; not only are they necessary for our northern weather, they'll also protect the plants from the deer until we get the fence up. The deer are plentiful and voracious, and it's not unusual for us to get the occasional snowstorm into the beginning of June. So - row covers.
When all is said and done, there will be six 3x12 ft. raised beds (one for grape vines, one for blackberries, one for blueberries, and three for veggies and herbs) and five 3x3 ft. raised beds from the leftover lumber. At least a couple of those will be potato bins. I also want to try seeding a few kinds of mushrooms. The north end of the garden will have a couple of apple trees and nut trees. The whole thing will be surrounded by a 7-8 ft. fence. I'll probably add onto it in the next several years, but this will get me started. At some point I'd really like to build a sunroom on the south side of the house to grow some tropical stuff.
Tonight we decided where we want to build our bonfire pit. Shannon has a large pile of volcanic rock for it, and there will be room to add some simple seating around it. I also have plans to redo the flower beds around the house, raking out the godawful red bark the previous owners used and improving the soil. Seriously, they had one bed along the front of the house that was just red bark mulch with ONE small plant in the whole thing. And a scattering of the ever-present thistles, of course. No flowers, no shrubs, no ground cover... just red bark mulch. I guess they thought it was pretty? I don't know. They had also tossed a bunch of gorgeous river rock... behind the garage in the weeds? Nowhere else, just there, so it's not like they had some leftovers from another project. Very odd. We haven't decided what to use it for yet, but it *will* be rescued from the weeds and used where it can be seen and appreciated.
Had to re-spray the tulips in the half-barrels today. The rains had apparently washed the deer repellent off and they started eating them. Again. Time to pull out the slingshot and start stinging some rumps. Damn deer. I swear it's like having an infestation of gigantic mice - they cause damage and eat everything. On the plus side, if food ever becomes a major issue we have a ready supply of venison...
Tomorrow we plan to get several bales of straw to mulch the walkways between the beds. I also need to start making my hoops for the row covers; not only are they necessary for our northern weather, they'll also protect the plants from the deer until we get the fence up. The deer are plentiful and voracious, and it's not unusual for us to get the occasional snowstorm into the beginning of June. So - row covers.
When all is said and done, there will be six 3x12 ft. raised beds (one for grape vines, one for blackberries, one for blueberries, and three for veggies and herbs) and five 3x3 ft. raised beds from the leftover lumber. At least a couple of those will be potato bins. I also want to try seeding a few kinds of mushrooms. The north end of the garden will have a couple of apple trees and nut trees. The whole thing will be surrounded by a 7-8 ft. fence. I'll probably add onto it in the next several years, but this will get me started. At some point I'd really like to build a sunroom on the south side of the house to grow some tropical stuff.
Tonight we decided where we want to build our bonfire pit. Shannon has a large pile of volcanic rock for it, and there will be room to add some simple seating around it. I also have plans to redo the flower beds around the house, raking out the godawful red bark the previous owners used and improving the soil. Seriously, they had one bed along the front of the house that was just red bark mulch with ONE small plant in the whole thing. And a scattering of the ever-present thistles, of course. No flowers, no shrubs, no ground cover... just red bark mulch. I guess they thought it was pretty? I don't know. They had also tossed a bunch of gorgeous river rock... behind the garage in the weeds? Nowhere else, just there, so it's not like they had some leftovers from another project. Very odd. We haven't decided what to use it for yet, but it *will* be rescued from the weeds and used where it can be seen and appreciated.
Had to re-spray the tulips in the half-barrels today. The rains had apparently washed the deer repellent off and they started eating them. Again. Time to pull out the slingshot and start stinging some rumps. Damn deer. I swear it's like having an infestation of gigantic mice - they cause damage and eat everything. On the plus side, if food ever becomes a major issue we have a ready supply of venison...