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Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Sure sign that it's spring?

- It must be - because, no drawing is happening and I've spent the bulk of the week knee deep in manure! :-)

I recruited a couple of my now-absent-son's burly friends to help unload three trailer-loads full and have spread them across all the garden beds (and have expanded a couple. I'm more than doubling the size of the day lily strip. Day lilies are a pleasant edible flower, but you need a lot of them if you want to eat buds and visually enjoy blossoms as well.

I've mostly cleaned out all the raised beds - a few kale and giant spring onion remain.

I still have to re-set the strawberry bed... And see if I can manage to get some peas and spinach and arugula planted...

"Babies" are coming up - arugula rustica, chervil, some radish and lettuces. I got to snack on newly emerged french sorrel and violets while raking. (The chickens are furious with me. I'm not letting them range freely at the moment, since they scratch up all the above mentioned babies.)

And there are buds swelling on the grapes and currents and kiwis and blueberries. That's always exciting. Exciting enough that I'm apparently working outside rather than in the studio this week.
*
So the manure is spread, the beds are all weeded, a bunch are edged (a never-ending work in progress) and I'm *thinking* about actually planting something. It feels like maybe it's spring.

11 comments:

Soozcat said...

Wow. That represents a significant amount of work! Go Tara go!

Also, mmmm arugula...

Gretel said...

Ha, Andy would have all that lovely lawn dug up in five minutes flat! Make the most of it, before you are locked away in the studio again.

Wendy Edelson said...

Haha Tara, I just read what PG wrote....I was about to ask why on earth do you have the lawn? I foresee it shrinking until within a few years poof! it will be gone.
Looking terrific...when you're back on 'studio arrest" you'll be so happy with your view!

Jennifer Rose said...

lovely garden :D lots of work and it looks great. I didn't know you could eat day lilies, good to know.

Michelle Palmer said...

SWEET! I would be absent from studio work, too!!! :)
We're about a month behind you...enjoyed your fun time! Thanks for sharing~
Michelle

d. moll, l.ac. said...

Oh, you are very garden ready! I have a couple of daylilies for eating too, do you dry them as well? They are an ingredient in Chinese soups.

Jennifer Thermes said...

Love the garden, Tara! Are the raised beds easier than amending the soil? Ah well, either way it's a ton of work... but enjoyable.

Oh, I'm with the others-- ditch the lawn, LOL!

Tina said...

Yay for gardens!! What a wonderful thing we are able to do. Yours look very nice and lots of work. I was going to ask y9ou about the chickens...will they mess with the plants once the plants are bigger?

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

Oh, it makes my heart beat faster to see that!! I cannot wait to get out there myself. Still a wee bit too chilly here, however. But soon...soon.

LDahl said...

I have Begonias, Geraniums and tiny Roses blooming... on my window sill. Snow is burying the early Tulips and Daffodils. I'm wishing I could have a magic wand to do the garden work, I have a feeling it is going to be another "strange weather year". Too cold, too wet, too hot, too late!
:)))

Cat (darklingwoods) said...

Wonderful! I look forward to seeing the blooms!