Sunday, April 10, 2011

garden progress

First off, let me apologize for the format of this post. It refuses to let me fix it so I have given up. Here's my future garden. Who knew that a little garden could take so much work!?! I certainly never thought that it could be! This area is in front of the extra bedroom and I will be gardening in the smaller flower bed to the left of the main bed as well. It's all about the size of a smallish bedroom. It probably wouldn't have been so bad if I had just plopped a raised bed on top of the grass but there were a ton of rocks that needed to be removed and large roots from the crape myrtle and holly bushes Adam pulled out last fall. I wouldn't have minded them being there if it weren't for the fact that they're sprouting new branches! So I've been diligently trying to get as many out as I can. Also, I've only been using a shovel and pick axe so no tiller or any other machine to make it go fast. Adam doesn't understnd why I would WANT to work hard when there are other options (even though we don't have a tiller or bobcat or the means to rent one right now anyway). But it sure does give me an appreciation for all the people who have lived without all our modern conviences! And I will treasure that garden because it holds alot of my sweat, blood and tears. Ok, not tears, but blood and sweat, for sure. These pictures were all taken during different stages of progress...though it may not seem that much has changed from one pic to the next. This last pic shows the area I've been saving for last. One portion of it is saved because there are some plants I will be transplanting to another area of the yard and wanted to wait to pull them out until I'm closer to finishing so they don't die while waiting. The dead looking area along the house is where the half the roots I have to deal with are. I don't have any pics of where I currently am but I am halfway done with that rooted area and half od the plants have been removed and laid in a shady area so they don't dry out and die while they wait until I am finished so I can work on a flower bed elsewhere where they will be put. I should be done by the end of the week with all the digging for this bed. Then, we'll be able to put a raised bed on it and fill it with good, composted soil. April 15th is the day here in our gardening zone that they say is safely past the last frost...the day you can plant outside. I wanted to be ready to plant by then but I will have to wait a week or so, I think. Which really, isn't too much later. I can live with that. Of course, plans don't always work out the way I want so we'll see... I am having trouble deciding what to plant though. I want tomatoes, bell peppers, lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, broccoli, peas, green beans, beans, cabbage, squash, potatoes...and if I think hard enough I'll remember the couple of things I'm missing. But my garden is kind of small so I won't be able to fit all that! I will be making bins for the potatoes so they don't need to take up room in the garden at least. And maybe a table for the back deck where I can have planters with lettuce. Any creative suggestions that don't take up garden space?

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