Garden!

Spring makes my feet itch for getting in the dirt. That sounds gross. Let me try that again. Come spring, I can’t wait to dig my toes in the dirt and get started in the garden. I love to break ground with my hoe, I love to plant seeds, I love the fresh air, I love the excitement of planning a whole new year of gardening. I could go on and on about gardening (I usually do to anyone I can corner in the months of February through June) but, since I am trying a new trick- seven minute blog entries- I will give you a picture, which is worth a thousand words, which would take way more than my allotted seven minutes to describe.

This year we are trying raised beds in the garden. I have always been unenthusiastic about raised beds, because they take up valuable real estate and cost money, but I know that many folks prefer them. Recently, I realized something. Raised beds- get this- RAISE the beds. I know. Stunning. Now I don’t have to bend down so far to plant seeds and pull weeds. Our soil is so clay-like that root vegetables were having a tough time. and the kids were constantly stepping on plants, because they couldn't differentiate between the crops and the weeds.

This is still a work in progress. On the right side of the picture we have to weed and prepare the soil for planting corn, beans and squash.

We have raspberries in the back on the right, strawberries in the back on the left. Sandbox in the foreground, raised beds built by yours truly in the middle. Now we have to find and haul about 60 cubic feet of compost. More pictures to follow (hopefully none with me splayed out on the couch from carting 60 cubic feet of compost).