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Category: Garden | Posted: Fri May 01, 2009 6:55 pm

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We've been busy today, converting the youngest girl's sandbox into a pumpkin patch. We managed to get the sand out, removed the bottom cover and started with dead stuff from the garden:




The bottom layer ready ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )


Then we hauled the bags of horse dung up and sat them ready for use:





Horse dung, one bag ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )






Most of the dung added ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )



Then we added a soil that holds water well but if dry is very hard. It won't dry since it's above the manure but below the top soil:




The water-retaining soil added ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )


The top soil is a mix of sand and rich stable compost, and the worms love it. That's my finger:





Big worm! That's my finger ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )


We are ready to sow, but where's the gardener-to-be? I found her in front of the TV, with a pile of Barbie dolls and games. *sigh* But out she came, we sowed and put the mini-greenhouse up.





All done. Now grow! ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )


I hope her pumpkins will grow for her. We've never sown this early before. I've got extra pumpkin seeds sitting in the bathroom just in case these won't sprout.

While we were at it, we fixed the middle girl's patch too. Ready for carrots:





Ready for the carrot seeds ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )



Well watered and looking good. The green sprouts are calendula and my mishap-marthagon-bulb-scales-babies:




Carrots sown and watered ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )



We had 22C at the warmest today, so we were hot!


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glendann wrote on Fri May 01, 2009 7:01 pm:

Usually a child can grow things know one else can
because of their faith in it.

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kaseylib wrote on Fri May 01, 2009 10:08 pm:

All that hard work will certainly pay off! Can't wait to see the rewards of your labor.

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eileen wrote on Fri May 01, 2009 10:27 pm:

Well those pumpkins will surely grow now as they've got the best bed possible to start them off.
I'll keep my fingers crossed as I'd hate your youngest daughter to be disappointed. I'll also be willing the carrots to show through the soil so that both girls will be able to watch their veggies grow and ripen.

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gardengater wrote on Fri May 01, 2009 10:48 pm:

What a great start for two future gardeners. That will be so much fun for them.

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Sjoerd wrote on Fri May 01, 2009 11:18 pm:

Well, miss...those plots are looking good. The soil looks good and so does the tunnel.
It's good that your daughter cane i=out to help with the planting and so forth. That's a good kid.
I just planted my Calendulas, so yours are much further than mine. Theyt can be so pretty.

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shannonrose wrote on Sat May 02, 2009 1:35 am:

What a special garden for your girls to enjoy. Somehow i bet those pumkins and carrots will be the best they ever saw or harvested.

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Jewell _2009 wrote on Sat May 02, 2009 3:46 am:

The bed is gorgeous and the soil looks perfect.
My grown son remembers when we grew pumpkins when he was little and I did daycare. The kids would all choose a pumpkin and we would write/scratch their names on the pumpkins when they were green. By the time the pumpkin grew and turned orange the name to had grown and was etched into the pumpkin. The kids loved it almost as much as I did. Garden memories are so much fun.

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Droopy wrote on Sat May 02, 2009 7:31 am:

Thank you for all your kind comments. We're really very border-line when it comes to growing pumpkins, but maybe this summer will be hot enough for them. We usually get good carrots, and peas, so at least they'll have those to enjoy if the pumpkins fail.

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Biita wrote on Sat May 02, 2009 8:20 am:

Looks like the girls are off to a great start. The rest of the garden is looking good too from what i can see. Your calendula is farther along than mine, i just planted yesterday. I know they will both enjoy watching the progress of the growing plants and the rewards at the end of the season. Way to go girls!!

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lulu1107 wrote on Sun May 03, 2009 1:04 pm:

I can't wait to hear how things turn out. I KNOW the kids will enjoy this and it will work out.Of course,on the horizon is homemade pumpkin bread and baked pumpkin seeds at harvest time!

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Palm Tree wrote on Mon May 04, 2009 8:11 am:

Aw that is so sweet. Your little gardeners hard at work on their pumpkin patch and still being typical girls playing with dolls, etc.
I love that little agri-tunnel. Would not mind having one myself. Your girls will have major fun growing their own veggies... I wish my children were the same alas..

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Droopy wrote on Mon May 04, 2009 7:12 pm:

We've done our best, with good advice from a couple of friends who are better at thest things than I am.

Today my youngest went out to check on the patch, put her little hand into the tunnel and heaved a big sigh of pleasure. "Oh, mummy, it's so nice and warm in here!" So at least it's working for us.

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