Garden update 2…

Since my last update, quite a lot of activity has taken place in my garden.

I’ve been so wishy washy when it has come to the garden expansion. More space is sometimes overwhelming.

Marty was going to use his tractor that doesn’t have a cutting deck and cart to help me haul compost up the hill to the raised beds.

That was the plan however the tractor had other plans. It wouldn’t start and he was busy working at his other jobs at the beginning of the week.

I did it all manually and let me tell you it was a workout! Shoveling the compost into our garden wagon was easy.

Shoveling the compost into the beds was easy. The pulling and pushing the wagon uphill was a bitch.

I couldn’t add as much to the cart as I would have liked because it made the wagon too heavy. How frustrating.

Just as I was on the last raised bed Marty came home from work and tinkered with the tractor and got it started!

Hallelujah! He helped me fill the cart and the bed and the sunflower bed were filled in no time!

I showed a photo in the last update of the expansion that had my beautiful blue raised beds next to the galvanized steel ones which I hated!

I filled the blue half barrels with compost and realized they were a fucking obstacle course and in the way of the wagon.

Shit! I had to remove the compost to move them out of the way. This is a typical me move.

More back breaking work that was unnecessary if I thought things through before I filled them up. Ugh.

While I was working on the barrels my creative side figured out why the blue beds looked so good last year.

The blue beds popped against the grey production kitchen and the brown mulch.

Next, I had to empty those out so I could carry them to where they were being moved to.

Again, I didn’t think things through. I put the cart before the horse and made even more work for myself!

The good news is I love where they are now, and they look great.

As far as the garden veggies and flowers in the greenhouse go they are growing fast!

I had to pot up some flowers, broccoli, brussel sprouts, and eggplant. I could tell they outgrew their pots when I saw the roots.

The next day when I went out to check on “everybody” I was shocked how much the flowers grew overnight!

I’m glad I figured out that the plants struggle to get bigger in a pot that’s too small.

Some items aren’t doing as well as the others. I’ve replanted bell peppers twice and so far have only three plants.

Same thing with poblanos now I have four. I wanted eight pepper plants from both varieties.

The blueberry and strawberry starter plants haven’t done shit!

The potatoes have sprouted a lot so I have had to add more potting mix to each container.

I planted some head lettuce, lettuce mix, argula, and baby spinach.

I’ve been told, have seen on YouTube, and have read in garden blogs that trying to grow head lettuce is not worth it.

Of course, I have to do the extra work just to see. I’m hoping the giant Caesar Romain and butter crunch grow.

I’ve been working in the garden every chance I can after production. Today, I planted some annual alyssum and aster seeds directly in the pots.

I’m not sure about the results but again I want to try.

So, next week we have to have some garden soil delivered. I also have to amend the compose with fertilizer before I can add the soil.

The same thing needs to be done to the blue raised beds and barrels.

I have to bring compost up to our front yard where I am putting in a new perennial garden with delphiniums, lupine, and hollyhocks.

Yes, I know they may not flower this year but you have to start somewhere.

Those flowers I just mentioned are doing particularly well and are large which I am super happy about.

The beds I worked hard on last year in front of our porch will also be expanded with lots of annual cottage garden flowers which are growing beautifully!

I have to learn to be more patient and think things through before I start planting shit in the wrong places.

The last thing to do before planting will be adding mulch to cover up the ugly ass green tarp.

Then I can start touching up the edging I did last year to the wildflower and porch beds, then add fresh mulch.

That’s it for this week’s update. I still have a long way to go.