Chives and Wasabi (above). Radiccio (below)
It's been a busy past month in our garden. The raspberry stalks have been tied. The blueberry bushes have all been trimmed. These two chores alone probably took over 25 hours. This is something that needs to be done each year around this time: raspberry plants grow new shoots every year, and if you don't train them where to go, they will grow out of control; you need to trim off the dead and diseased branches from the blueberries so the other parts have a better chance to thrive.
The seed trays that Jason started weeks are growing steadily and are ready to plant in the ground. Before we get to that point, we have started making raised beds in the yard. So the past couple weeks have been a work factory of staining the boards that will be used. It will be interesting to see how food production will change with raised beds. There are several reasons why we decided to work on this project this year. 1) It takes away the need to rot-a-till the soil each year before planting (which is controversial in the first place - while it may help break up the soil for planting, it depreciates the nutrients in the soil (they become exposed and vulnerable to rain, wind, etc.). 2) Raised beds create a more suitable growing environment: more soil, less compact, more drainage for the plants, warmer soil conditions, etc. 3) It helps keep the garden tidy serving as a way to manage the weeds. This is something I will definitely love this year. 4) Having raised beds will help us make better use of the land by concentrating and intensifying our food growth. Raised beds just seem to be the way to go this year - especially as we work to grow all our own food, and hopefully begin to grow produce to sell this year (to local restaurants, etc). One day.
We have been busy hauling and shoveling dirt onto areas in the yard that are otherwise muddy and poor soil areas, even for the grass to grow. Now is the time to do this, so we can get some grass seed down, and the path areas begin to fill-in in time for late spring and summer. Last year we tried planting only clover in several areas that are designated as pathway areas, because it seemed to be the better choice environmentally: food for the bees, stays short and needs less mowing. However, the clover completely disappeared when the winter came and is back to being brown and muddy. So we decided to raise it up a level with soil that drains better (less mud) before seeding it with a grass that will last all year long.
Jason started making a patio area on the front lawn and some small raised beds. We are hoping to turn the front yard into a little garden oasis as well...
There is always lots to do around here. When it finally dries up a bit, we can get to the root cellar we didn't finish last year. Too bad we didn't... the rain got the better of us... and now there is a wall of soil over top of our unfinished concrete wall (from surrounding collapsing walls...even the stairs are washed away). It will be a chore just to clean up the cellar so we can continue working on it. A summer job I predict.
That pretty much sums it up for where we are at. It's time we started our tomato seedlings and there is a whole of seedlings that need to get in the ground. We'll keep you posted. Check out 'spring' in the garden:)
