right now

right now

Mar 10, 2010

Busy Weekend, Finally!

We had a very productive weekend and start to the week, FINALLY! I feel like a bear coming out of hibernation, and my yard shows it! We spent the whole weekend cleaning up the yard, picking up twigs and branches that had blown down over the course of the winter, topping off the beds with compost, constructing trellises, and chopping back perennials. It felt so good to have the sun on our faces, although I probably should have dug out the sunblock - but who thinks of that in March? It is also so nice to have something to report on besides my quest for the ultimate organized home and The Chronicles of a Bad Knitter - although you aren't out of the woods yet, I'm still working on both and will be sure to subject you to the updates, lol!

Notable weekend events:

recruited neighborhood children to plant peas - I think a little hard work is good for them, and as a bonus, I got the comment "Peas grow in the ground?" ...priceless!

yours truly stacking my straw bales for future use in the potato cages, I don't think the neighbors in the large new construction homes behind me think much of my white trash urban farming... too bad... I will have fresh tomatoes!

The dog free training zone is back in action - after I planted the peas I stick every available stake or trellis in the beds so my dogs don't go tearing through it. They are really good about staying out of them once the plants grow, but they really enjoy vaulting over and through them in the off-season!

The "puppy" is the one at most fault for the garden-bed-running. Meet Sprocket, the most troublesome yet useful dog around! She is a Jack Russell/Australian Shepherd Mix, a strange blend. Other than the Aussie "frosting", she is all Jack Russell, digging up moles and voles and generally anything she can tunnel into is fair game. Thomas, this is the dog you need for your burglar-mouse, she's have it in her mouth in about 5 minutes! We made up a new breed for her, "The Outback Jack"! The Australian Shepherd brains seemed to have escaped her too, sadly. At least she's cute :) (to us!)

I've been busy repotting seedlings and starting to harden off some of the cold hardy ones such as the greens and lettuces. The operation has now spilled into the kids' room and since I volunteered to start plants for the annual Master Gardener Plant Sale, it's going to get worse before it gets better.

The main seed start area in my kitchen holds the heat mat and my tomatoes, peppers and basil now, since it has more light, and the kids' room is reserved for the annual flowers which are just getting window sun supplemented with one light.

This is the first batch of tomatoes and peppers, just repotted from their little cells. I will be starting more this weekend probably.

Today it's over cast but supposed to hit 70 degrees! Scheduled to get rain the next 3 days followed by cooler temps in the 40's this weekend again, but who cares?! We have seen the signs here that it is ending, and we set the clocks for one more hour of daylight this weekend, so we have seen the light (literally) at the end of the tunnel! It won't be long now...

and what the heck... I just heard a minute ago that Corey Haim is dead? a sad day for a true 80's girl...


7 comments:

  1. The yard is looking good Erin!

    Cory was such a mess from what little I knew about him in the last decade, it was just a matter of time I guess. Another victim of Hollywood gone bad, so sad. (I- along with half of the female population- had such a crush on him as a kid!)

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  2. looking good Erin! It's nice to get a look at your garden. I don't think my neighbor who is obsessed with his green lawn cares much for garden either.
    I would love to have a guard dog for my garden. I'm bracing myself for the chipmunks.
    let's hope the amazing weather lasts!

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  3. Erin, your yard/garden is sooo beautiful that I'm sure anyone (neighbors in back or whatever) seeing it think it is a vision to behold. (And they're probably jealous on top of it.)

    One of these days [like in three or four months ;o)], it will be warm enough for us to get out and attack our yard and garden, too. It's gonna feel good.

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  4. Neighbors, pshaw. Let them eat produce that's traveled for miles.
    It looks great -- as though it's coming along very nicely! I miss dogs, and your stick idea is a great one.

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  5. Erin, great job on the garden, the little seedlings and kids planting seeds. Wish my grandchildren lived closer so they could help. ;)

    As for your neighbors, they only WISH they could grow what you do and have fresh vegetables... mustn't give them a second thought. Straw, yes that's what I have to get soon. Thanks and have a wonderful gardening weekend. Diana

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  6. exactly what I craved from you, fun and practical all in one! but now, I did not know about Cory - I will have to go look that up. We weren't close of course, but somehow we seem to know them vicariously with them - peace

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  7. Hi there! I popped over from Kelly's blog and wanted to say hi and let you know that our house is 960 sq ft! I know what you mean about limited space. I was waiting for a bigger place to garden for a long time, too...then one day God said, "Bloom where you're planted". So...I am! Anyway...glad to meet you. And I like your garden boots!

    ps...who cares what the neighbors think? They'll be jealous once they see it all that good food growing!

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