Wednesday, June 10, 2009

slow starts

Nice we wake early. This morning by 9am laundry was washed and on the line, beans were planted, pets were fed, dishes put away, etc. I also began resurrecting the tomato patch as I lost close to 30 plants from the combo of frost and dry days in the first week of June. Boo. But actually, a blessing in disguise: extra motivated now to keep the garden healthy and, well, less tomato plants to tend amidst a busy summer schedule. After the resurrection tho, I'll still have 36 in the ground, which still makes me happy. Everything is off to a pretty late start with spring taking so long to warm up. Still need to get a lot in. Actually, still need to till! Tiller still at the shop but am hoping it'll be back soon, in time for eggplants, peppers, cukes, zukes, and squash types to go in. Is it too late for corn?

Ah, it's okay. Gave myself a pass at the very start of the season. Not expecting too much this year, as it's the first year of many. Soil is newly worked, beds newly made. It will take some time to de-rock and build up the soil with compost and manure, to figure out proper rotations for each crop family, to get timing down. It's an experimental year. Am enjoying taking time to play, see what works, what doesn't, what I like, what we need more or less of, etc. Perennial beds will also take a couple of years to come together. Right now the beds by the house and near the driveway are great messes of veggies, annuals, baby perennials, and bulbs. Oh, and bindweed, grass, and assorted weeds. Good fun. I found a really cool old cultivator claw tool in the shed, left behind by previous owners.

Oh yeah, and we got another two bush cord of wood! You can see in the picture we're being slow to pile it. Reminds me about our chimney situation... but that's another story.

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

june, be juney

Am shivering a little, wrapped in a blanket with a cup of tea. June has come with frost-warnings and mornings so chilly I've had a fires on. What gives? Surely the cold will let go sooner than later. Surely.

42 tomatoes in the ground so far, with a few more to get in for a nice number of 50. Everything else is on the porch, shying away from the chilly fields. Actually, am just too busy to get to work out there - plus the freakin' tiller needs another visit to the engine shop. The tines quit spinning, so my gardening quit spinning too. Actually, I did plant a few cucumbers with neat chicken-wire bridges, but they were dug up minutes later by my shadow-happy dog. Sigh. Whatta goof. Going to have to revisit that one.

The other night after putting tomatoes in, it started to rain. My love and I sat on the porch with a beer watching the sky change from darkness and thunder to a beautiful, surreal, full double rainbow. Glorious.