What have you done today in the Garden?

Compost. Wheelbarrow. Shovel. Thatch rake. Well not for thatch raking exactly. It turns out I can skip a step by putting down compost on thatchy bare spots because it turns thatch to compost. Who knew? But if I am saving so many steps, then why am I stiff later? It was only 2 yards. 3 to go!

Speaking of that compost pile, it was kinda fun since shoveling compost always brings up treasures! I bought this from a fellow who said it was 8 years old and had horse manure in it. I left it a while to see what if anything would grow in it. When the broadleaf weeds popped out I thought how neat it was that I could add new weeds to my collection! I also found pistachio shells and the plastic mesh from palleted sod and a mexican language snack wrapper! The best was it is full of actual honest to goodness big fat nightcrawlers! All I seem to have are those asian jumpers, so maybe they will add to my earthworm menagerie!

 

We had about 3 inches of rain in past two days. My plot to increase rain by installing a drip irrigation system was highly successful! Now if California would install drip irrigation, it would rain throughout the state and fill the reservoirs, ending the drought!

I pulled five wheelbarrows full of weeds from my garden of shame. Now it's almost ready to be promoted to my garden of moderate embarrassment.

I cultivated around the four o'clocks. They look green and healthy. I gave them a scattering of slug bait. While cultivating there, I found four gigantic slugs.

I completed a small water feature for the kitchen garden. It's made from a planter bowl that I sealed the holes, them sprayed the inside with white rubber sealer. I sat the bowl on a bird bath stand, filled with water, and added a floating, self-contained solar mini fountain. It's very peaceful to listen to the water as I putter.



I planted more zinnia seeds and a few African Marigold plants.

 

I tarted up 'arry's "winter palace."
It's now got roofing felt on all four sides





Plus a 1" thick piece of polystyrene stuck to the base for insulation.
There will still be a gap between the base and the paving slab it sits on.





There's a bigger roof I made which just fits over the existing one to give more protection from rain at the front. It slopes slightly front to back and left to right. At the moment it's protecting his summer house.


I'll put this house away until September.

 

The last few days have been busy days with fitting the gardening into the early morning ( about 4 am to 9 am). Hubby surprised me by removing volumes of items from the old horse shelter/stable beside the gardens. I now have a garden shed/shelter I'm pretty excited. The last two days were spent migrating my items to one spot, and organizing remay. I have my weeding supplies in one of the kids old wagons now, so I am mobile to all areas of the gardens without making multiple trips. When he is feeling well enough he wants to install some tool hangers for me. Can life get any better?? Very happy.

The new haskaps and saskatoons finally recieved their mulch. Weeding is done,with the exception of the raspberries and asparagus.

I dropped the climbing supports for the cucumbers in the greenhouse that get tied back every year. Lower branches of the tomatoes were pruned up away from the soil. Potatoes had their first filling in. Looks like I will need to do it again soon. I'm so happy with the trenching planting ( although I had to do holes this year).

Today is making comfrey tea ala Sjoerd. And...a LOT of housework that has been neglected. It's a bit rainy and a town day tomorrow, so I need to catch up.

 

Mostly weeded. Started putting down some landscape fabric. Started another compost pile due the weeds. Spread some wood chips on the landscape fabric.

 

Fingers crossed for you, Mel.
You have been a busy one, haven’t you. Yeah, lots going on over there.

 

Still wet and soggy out as the weeds get a monstrous head start.

 

A bit of weeding, watering and deadheading some of the lupins.

 

Not a lot. Gave everything a good water. I'll probably get into it tomorrow afternoon after doing the week's shop.
This is our euonymus behind the rockery on the side fence, earlier in the year I pruned it back as it was overhanging the rockery and depriving the phlox of some sun. I had to use wire to rearrange the branches to fill in the gaps.




Well hidden has been an immitation robin's nest we bought years ago, just like this, but never occupied.



Since the prune, it's been much more exposed. As I walked past it with my hose in hand this evening "something" flew out. It was quite small. So it could have been a robin. We often see "Rocky" on the patio, he's the bravest of all the birds.
I looked from a distance and the left half beyond the entrance seemed to be well blocked up with stuff.

I took this photo on zoom from the other side of the pergola balustrade, as I did the first one, so as not to disturb it.

 

Lots of rain.
Did some tidying up along the fence and roadside. Weed trimmer.
Did a little fertilizing.
That's about all.

 

DM— I re-read your compost posting above and finally got the dry humour in it. I can be thick sometimes. Sorry to hear that you have those jumping worms as well. What a headache.

We have been harvesting, weeding and working with the inside and outside toms. It is almost time to increase the tom feeding schedule. I have noticed the difference in size of the inside and outside toms. The inside ones are more than twice the height and have way more flowers. No fruits outside yet.

The Bride has weeded and thinned-out the precious parsnip bed. They are looking good.

We mowed the grass path yesterday, so that looks tidy again.

The compost has shrunken-in now and it s time to aerate it again, by turning it, letting the O2 in. Also the un-composted bits from the top and around the edges needed to be brought into the pile’s centre and mixed.

When we were removing the cover, we could already feel the heat in the bin. The Bride began lifting up and digging out the deep compost and I sprinkled the grass into these holes. We repeated this mixing movement until the whole pile had been opened and mixed.

Not only was it warm and composting, but there was steam/ smoke and ash. Look at these foto’s:


On the right you can see the added grass clippings, the whitish and grey bits all over are ashes. The turning fork is stuck in up to the hilt.



This second pic shows more ash from the deep. This compost is doing so well now. All of this debris you see is the peripheral material that still needs to compost. I see some twigs in there now. Those came along with the leaves we got from the leaf-sweeper team at the apartment building. They would eventually compost as well, but I may just remove them the next time I go into the bin.

The sugar snaps are coming in now. We had our first meal last night. It was a disappointment.

 

Planted up 4 large pots, took out the tulip bulbs and put in some new compost and put in cosmos, Snapdragons and pot marigolds. Still got 4 more to do, have to ask hubby to get another bag of compost, the supermarkets sells it now so don't have to go to the garden centre.

 

@Sjoerd - your compost looks amazing. I hope I can get to that point for next year. Very rewarding to create your own magic for the garden. My pile is so huge that I literally have to use the tractor with the front end loader to turn it over. But my ratio of lawn clippings to other matter is too big right now. I hope that improves as summer progresses. I have a lot to learn in this matter - huge learning curve.

 

Today is playing rain tag. Which is okay. I'll gladly take it ( I'll try to will some your way @marlingardener ).

I found a discount of very sad strawberry plants in town yesterday. They are everbearing, but not the same hardy northern variety of the starts I purchased. Half of my starts were moldy and perished in the travel. It was so cold that the poor folks in Manitoba had to delay sending things by over three weeks. I purchased the plants to fill in the holes, knowing that they are zone 4 everybearing for a southern climate. I don't expect they will winter ( big nope) but perhaps they can enjoy giving us some berries in a lovely bed instead of going into the trash. I swear they have already grown since being put in the bed yesterday.



The last of the lawn clippings went down into the lower garden. I still need to weed the raspberries and asparagus but those weeds are not going anywhere. Soon ( she says)

A neighbour is coming to pick lettuce and spinach today. My gamble of planting early paid off, and many still do not have their gardens in this year. I only plant lettuce seed after the first week in June or plants will not mature.

The cabbage, brocolli and cauliflower are loving the cool wet spring. The early wee cabbages are starting to form heads. The Green Goliath Broccoli is showing a hint of flower coming. This year I planted three varieties each of brocolli and cauliflower - each with different strengths regarding temperature, and different maturity dates. The munched on plants are small but will survive. (I shouldn't have added some back up plants....oh my - so much cauliflower if it all comes to fruition).



There are some tomatoes forming. Perhaps my attempt to enjoy red tomatoes instead of bringing green ones inside will pay off.



Carrtos need thinning again, but that will be tomorrow.



Potatoes are coming. I'm not sure if I should use mulch to fill and then dirt ( to help the soil), or if I should fill in and then add mulch on top. The soil is heavy in that particular area. I'd sure be open to suggestions. (May be worthy of a question post in Is Potato)



I laid my roofing shingles along the perimeter of the upper garden to keep lawn at bay.

And...the race is on in the onion patch. Sets vs seed onion. My first attempt at growing onions from seed. I need to get a life as this race is very exciting for me, although a little slow to watch.

 

This morning watered the blueberries and other pots and tonight i'll get the hose out to water the front garden around the path.
It's too warm to do anything else.