We laid down newspaper before spreading the mulch to help kill the weeds below.
Looking good!
8 more raised beds (small squares) were added to the garden today. Each bed works out to be around $16 to build (boards, soil, screws). (Load of soil = $45; all the boards (cedar 1 inch X 6 inches, 4ft long) = $70). Jason will come build these beds for you in your garden! He'll bring the dirt and do the labor for $30 a bed. I'll post more about this soon.
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Today, I transplanted lemon balm and chamomile into two of the raised beds, and cut wire to cover the dirt from the many cats that like to visit and poop in them! I also dug up some rhubarb plants and potted them, ready for sale.* * *
Grant did an amazing job unloading the dirt and bark mulch to go around the beds. How many wheel barrow loads did he do? He's going to have some sore muscles tomorrow!
Next, Jason finally got around to putting the door on the greenhouse! Yeah...no more ducking under and lifting heavy wet plastic! (Just the other side to go for circulation before the weather warms).
And look, my hardy greens are sprouting. So are the knight and sugar peas I planted a couple weeks ago!
The irises and snow drops are in full bloom. The daffodils are about to bud. My mother told me the other day that you are NOT to put other flowers in the same vase as daffodils, because their slimness you can feel when you cut them is actually poisonous to other flowers. She also said it makes no sense that stores sell tulips and daffodils in the same pots because the daffodils will even kill the tulips. Who knew!?
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My favorite moment of the day was watching the bees (honeybees and mason bees) go into the irises, and come out all covered with pollen. Very cool! ***
After being outdoors for most of the day, a BBQ was the way to end the fun! BBQ steak & pork chops, with a Greek and faux-spinach salad (actually made with pea shoots and leaves) on the side, and a squash casserole. Yum, yum!***
Tomorrow we got more beds to make and another trailer full of dirt to fill them. I'm going to get started on tying the raspberry canes up and transplant the strawberry plants into a raised bed in the next week. Currently the strawberries are where there is a lot of buttercup growing and that's no good considering their leaves look very similar - and they are NOT edible (poisonous)! Next, I don't want to pull out the old raspberry canes (when tying up the canes tomorrow), until I know the weather is going to stay warm enough for the bees. Old raspberry canes make great homes for wild bees and if you remove them too soon, you might be destroying bee homes :( If you are someone who likes to remove your old canes at the end of the growing season... next year, I suggest tying them into bundles and placing them somewhere for the bees to move in over the winter. Finally, if this weather stays nice, it's also time to start my bee-happy flowers in the wild space. Happy gardening everyone!
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