What a fast two hours today! Gardeners today were Joan, Susan, G.A., Greg, Rita, Mary Elizabeth, Don, Dorothy, Jamie, Janet, Nancy, Martha and myself. Everyone jumped in and got some big jobs done, the main thing being G.A. coming in with another load of garden mix. We were able to top off the rest of the beds and fill some of the holes in the blocks. Everything was incorporated in with the current soil, and the beds were prepared for planting. Jamie cleared a spot in a compost bin to dump some mix that was left over. All of this was a big job and took most of our time.
No putzing around today….everyone was hard at work (not that we ever putz).
Tomato cages were put in place and the other side of the beds are ready for planting next week. Susan finished planting the potato bed with red potatoes on one side and a narrow row of scallions on the other. Seedlings of French butterhead reddish-brown lettuce were planted in one bed with Lutz beets planted down both sides. Lutz beets are supposed to get large but not woody. I remember in MG class one of our teachers mentioning the benefits of Lutz beets; some of these seeds were in the Dan West donation. Dorothy started planting a potpourri of lettuce in the block holes, adding a little fertilizer and earthworm castings to the new mix. Next week there will be beds all set to plant more carrots, chard, and what have you. The peas are starting to peek their heads and the spinach bed is lookin' good.
Mary Elizabeth and Joan got rid of a lot of weeds. Bob said he was bringing more cardboard, so we can block some more weedy areas.
Greg transplanting the two blackberry bushes into the new bed. I will buy one more bush to fill the bed, and then a fence will be erected behind the bushes for support.
Speaking of fences, Jamie and G.A. put up the fence to support the raspberries. I should be able to get those within the next week. Janet watered in the whole garden. Jamie says next workday they will have to get the irrigation system going, since they will be giving a presentation at the class on irrigation.
Janet watering teeny radishes.
I was so glad to see our Comfrey emerging!!! This is such a good source of free fertilizer. In case you don't remember, we used this to make Comfrey tea last year. We got about 3 good batches before it quit shooting out more growth. You just cut off the whole plant to about 4 inches and shove the whole thing into a 5-gallon bucket, add water to cover and steep about three weeks. And then wear a gas mask when you take the lid off. Comfrey is said to have roots 10-12 feet deep and thus pulling lots of nutrients from way down. It is used especially for veggies with blossoms. And I think the smell might have deterred some of the squash bugs.
Comfrey getting ready to take off.
Below is a picture of the arched cattle panels that we put up last week. I think cherry tomatoes would do well on them, unless we think of something better. I have some Juliets started and I have ordered a Black Cherry from Tomato Baby. The long cucumbers are going on the big arched trellis by the in-ground beds.
Great pose Janet.
I hope you are all able to be at Spring Fling this Friday and Saturday….working or visiting or both. Sounds like it will be a really good one.
'Til later,
Dianne
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