Before a seed or plant is planted in the gardens there is a huge amount of work to do. Cool weather weeds are already sprouting in the asparagus beds and need to be pulled before the first green spears ever emerge. Last year this time we were picking asparagus. In between bouts of late snow we have slowly been working on these beds. Pulling back mulch to allow the soil to warm and trying to pull any stubborn cool weather weeds that have managed to survive despite the mulch.
And the rhubarb/ strawberry bed is getting a change this year. The rhubarb which originally took up only half the bed has become too crowded. So any remaining strawberries will be moved to the garden and put in a row. The remaining rhubarb will be split and moved to cover the entire bed. That should give it plenty of room to spread. I have 100 new strawberry plants to add to the existing strawberry plants as well which should give me a good size strawberry patch in the no till garden.
And look at this huge pile of dirt and gravel at the end of our drive compliments of the road grader! Now my husband sits on the board for the township and I am not sure if this is a very nice thing to do to the guy that signs your paycheck. Never the less this will have to be shoveled up and thrown back into the driveway. Gravel is expensive and it's not doing any good piled up in the ditch.
The no till garden is still nestled under a bed of wheat straw, grass clipping and leaves. Like one great big compost pile.
But as the straw is raked back to allow the soil to warm before planting pea seeds we are amazed at the beautiful black and loose soil teeming with earthworms already.
Gotta run no time to spend on the computer these days as the work is waiting.
Blessings from The Holler
The Canned Quilter
I really appreciate your blog, lots of lovely information. The hard work you have put through years show through, I wish you and your family a good new season, my the lord grant you and your family good health and joy to easily complete your tasks.
ReplyDeleteThat's the tuff part preparing it ! The ground is warmer here now but a still to frozen to dig . Our digging an preparing wont happen till the end of April beginning of May ! Thanks for sharing have a good day !
ReplyDeleteif it doesn't warm up and quit snowing mine will come to a screeching halt real soo. Snoe predictions for the next 5 days : (
DeleteLots of work ahead for your gardens, but in the end you will taste the fruits of your labor. My hubby is a worker/roadmaster/supervisor for our township. He knows all about plowing snow and having gravel everywhere. At least he signs his own paycheck lol.
ReplyDeleteWe know with such deep snow it is hard to not get gravel. Actually more damage in our area is caused by local teenage boys that all have pick up trucks with blades. When a big storm like that hits they go around the area and remove the snow from people's drive ways to make extra money. One cleared our driveway this last storm and I swear took three inches of gravel and dirt and deposited it on the lawn. I'll spend all summer raking gravel and replanting grass to patch it. What they don't realize is that we have enough food and no place to be so as far as we are concerned the snow can sit there : )
DeleteI second Motherella's comment. Thank you for sharing your posts (I think I've "pinned" like 30 of them to my Pinterest page, and tons of people have "repinned" them). I look forward to reading them and understand when they're sparse that you're working. :)
ReplyDeleteIs your entire garden No-Till? There seems to be a resurgence of No-Till in the younger folks these days.. They've figured out its the smart way to do things. I loved Ruth Stout and followed her methods back years ago when I was gardening in our own land.
ReplyDeleteI garden now in a community garden that is ripped up & reassigned every year now so I cant do this except for the season.. Whatever it takes, and we do what we can.
Thaks for sharing your lovely gardens.
One of my gardens is no till, two other vegetable gardens are not but are rotated and allowed to lie fallow for a season. Most of my flower gardens are no till.
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