There was much joy in the garden this week even when you consider the addition of an inch+ of rain we received. How else but joyful can you describe the feeling of a load of fine, black, aged horse manure getting delivered and dumped?
a big red truck brought a rich load of muck
Grandboy and I were ready when Landworks Earthmoving brought the load of aged horse manure (3-4 years) mixed with fine sawdust, sand, and leaves that has been turned every 15 days. I am so proud of it you would think somebody just gave me a load of black gold!
We soon put it to good use enriching the soil in the spots my hole-digger dug for a new yellow climbing rose and a scarlet honeysuckle vine.
Golden Showers Climbing Rose
Dropmore Scarlet Honeysuckle
When I was little, there was a yellow climbing rose that grew up the pole of Mama’s backyard clothesline. I recall it having the prettiest tiny buds and have for years wanted to have one of my own. The honeysuckle is to hopefully help attract hummingbirds this summer if I am lucky.
I wish you could have heard the thrill in Poppa’s voice when he saw these little green sprouts peeking through the soil less than a week after we planted them. Who knows but what I can maybe even get him to eat some of these peas and greens.
mesclun, mustard and turnip greens spouted
Extra Early Alaska Peas
The birds have been busy in the garden this week too. A pair of bluebirds have been seen scouting around the place…
oh how I hope the bluebirds decide to stay
and a mama robin has been busy preparing for her brood.
And sorry but due to lack of heavy lifters and high winds and still more tree debris to stack and burn, last week’s garden art project has sadly yet to be planted. Hopefully when you check back here next week you can see the mysterious installation!
We played in the dirt this week instead of in the mud! Finally some dry weather allowed us to do a little tilling and planting. But first we burned the brush pile. Yikes!!
the burning of the brush pile
We wonder if an early garden visitor will return in an attempt to share in the toils of our labor…
deer track in the garden
He tilled. I made photos. The gardener is refracted in the dewdrop if you know where to look.
Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.- Thoreau
In my efforts to recycle and reuse as much as possible in our sustainable gardening adventure, I spent an afternoon on the deck in the warm sunshine this week playing with garden projects…
after all my work with my little dremel tool, leftover pot pie pans and some twine I proudly tied these little bird deterrents to sticks and stacked them in the garden… project number one done!
How many times have I retied them…?? you do not even want to know… LOL
somebody needs to teach me to tie knots... please!
For garden project number two I recycled and reused:
one floor lamp that no longer works
one unclaimed left behind dryer load of laundry
one curtain rod
one styrofoam packing insert
two old chair pads
Whatever will it be…?? I will give you a hint. Grandboy is not too pleased with the creation as of yet…
mysterious garden project
hopefully he will like it better once we get it planted next week!
After almost 1 1/4 inches of rain, once again we had to satifsy ourselves with more planning and purchasing. But we did get the tomato and pepper seeds, ordered weeks ago from Victory Seed Company, started!
starting seeds
Since the full moon has passed…
Full Worm Moon
we will have to wait until late March to get these broccoli seedlings in the ground.
too wet to plant
But just so you don’t think all we had was a boring rainy week, you should also know we enjoyed wind gusts to 44 mph with a high of 80 degrees on Tuesday, below freezing temps on Thursday followed by a trace of snow on Friday.
There was joy in the garden this week too. Friday the 13th ended up being my lucky day. I never remember ever before seeing a cedar waxwing… that morning was like never before…
a first time for everything
But never fear, we just decided that if you can’t plant, you just play! And what could be more fun than splashing together in the muddy water?
My grandparents lived on farm in south Graves County, KY, when I was very little. The fun memories we have from there are many. Climbing the sarvis tree in the chicken yard, gathering eggs from the hen house, watching as they made sausage from pig parts sorted amongst big tubs, washing out the gizzard of an old hen in the kitchen sink and churning and molding our very own butter. The crops and the kitchen garden provided many a glorious Sunday dinner!
My Auntie too had a garden. This garden is where I learned how much you can do with so very little. Her plot was hand dug and measured surely no more than 10 feet by 15 feet but feed us she did. Turnip greens, June peas, pickled cucumbers, squash and green beans were seasonally on her table.
When I started a family of my own we had a small garden for a year or two. Soon the demands of time and space put an end to that. But oh how I missed it! In the intervening years I grew the occasional tomato plant in a pot with nary a success. I did however always keep a pot of basil and another of sage to allow me to get a little bit of dirt under my fingernails.
the wintering garden
This past fall I retired and moved to a place with a leftover garden spot. It has been lovingly and beautifully tended for 3-4 years and it is way big for me – 48′ x 60′! But with the help and partnership of my son and his family, we intend to plan, till, plant, tend, produce, harvest, preserve and enjoy every single inch of that soil this year.
We also plan to keep you posted weekly about our garden’s progress. Please drop by anytime, sit and talk a bit no matter the weather and share with us the joy you find in the garden each week.
