A member brought over his John Deere a couple of weeks ago and made this nice garden for me. The soil was beautiful and fluffy. We then set up stakes and string and made 9 raised beds (mulch in the aisles and maybe even wood borders will come later). I'm so happy. I just hope I don't kill everything (I did get soaker hoses this time, and a long enough hose to get to the garden. This desert girl has come to the conclusion that God doesn't water here ALL the time, He wants me to do it sometimes as well. sigh. Now I miss sprinkler systems)
We are doing concentrated beds. Rather than rows, we are planting things close together and kind of jumbled based on the sphere they take up...there's no reason why you can't put an onion, which grows underground, next to a head of lettuce, for instance, which grows above. I also am trying out the concept of companion planting...planting things that are supposedly good for each other or repel bugs next to each other (the flowers are marigolds...they repel bugs. As the summer goes on, I'll add other things that will help also.) It has been an interesting process and has appealed to the perfectionist in me (which usually means nothing gets done because it is too involved). But I am excited for the Brussels sprouts, cabbages (way too many cabbages), peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, onions, cukes, and strawberries...to name a few things. The row closest to us has corn and sunflower seeds just planted. When those get a little taller, I will grow beans to climb up the stalks, and also some pumpkins in that bed (but they won't climb up the stalks). Next year, I think I'll have a hedge for berries and currants (I love currants). We added most of the herbs today (still need to find rosemary and maybe some more herb seeds so that I can have more of the ones I love and not go completely broke..oh well, I have all summer). Thankfully, we got them in before the 20 minute storm went through (Weather Channel said all evening!).
The kids have been having fun with it, too. Chris has been a HUGE help, and Maggie planted a lot of the marigolds, and some of the onions before running off with the loitering younger siblings of budding soccer players (it was practice time).
After the storm was past (or would that be passed?) and was busy causing tornadoes just over the Ohio border, it left us the most beautiful full double rainbow across the entire eastern sky. It didn't photograph well...but my honey did.
1 comment:
I have to beat Lutheran Lucciola to the punch: too many cabbages!?? Perish the thought!
And Brussels sprouts? Even better. You're making me pine for my own gardening days, which will return, someday.
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