The weather this weekend was great. It was not too cold but over cast and it was just right. We got the fruit trees planted, tilled the space where our Sasktatoon berries (Juneberries) and raspberries will go. Dean needs to fix the raised beds as the weight of the dirt over the winter. Right now they are 16ft long, 4 ft wide and 12in deep. We made them 12 in deep because we have such hard clay soil that it almost suffocates the roots. However the 12 inches is too deep once the weight of said clay gets wet. Dean is going to cut them down to 6inches and we will work on amending the soil this summer. Our compost bin (that I have fought with for 2 years!) has finally done its job. We will be spreading compost when we plant this year. WOO HOO! I am going to pick up a couple bags of peat moss also, as many of the organic gardeners around here have told us it works wonders.
I picked up strawberries and asperagus plants the other day. Well roots actually, so I need to get them planted this week sometime. I already have once large strawberry bed but my opinion is one can not have to many berries! I want to get some blueberry bushes and blackberries to add to our berry patch. As it is right now we have to drive 1.5 hours away just to get blueberries from a farm....and blackberries.....I haven't had any since we went to the Oregon coast 3 years ago. If you haven't had fresh berries from Oregon you must go. There are some experiences in life that should not be passed by and Oregon berries are one of them. Head to the coast on a curvy road with trees and moss everywhere until you come to a stand that looks almost like it will fall over. Stop there, doesn't matter which one, just stop and take part in a little peice of heaven. Ahhhhhh I dream of the coast and trees and the breeze that smells of.....growth. It always smells so good in Oregon.....the humidity is so refreshing.....and all the green.....and the waves and sound of the ocean....ahhhh I will sleep well tonight as I dream of the exact opposite of my little dirt patch here in the sagebrush sea.
Okay back to the topic at hand.....onions. Exciting huh....yeah I can see it on your face. Anyway they will go in this week too. I was going to start some from seed but I have limited space this year so I went with bulbs. The sweet thing....these are from my garden last year. They overwintered very nicely in the basement. Those babies will be going in the ground by the weekend.
I put up the greenhouse the other day. It took a beating this winter so I will have to patch it. I hope that it will still do what it needs to. I started tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussell sprouts, and a host of herbs Friday night. I had been waiting to start anything.....but it was time finally. I actually have an Oregano sprout. This is amazing as it has never germinated for me...EVER. It did it over night actually which was pretty cool. I am going to baby that thing. I was fresh Oregano. I also have some Rosemary coming up, along with fennell, dill and lavender. My herbs are always the first things to die so I am going to be watching them like made this year. I want to fill in my flower beds with herbs since they, for the most part, are hardy and will do their own thing with little help from me. Keeping my fingers crossed.
I picked up a few books from the library this weekend. An organic pest control books which I know I will need, a basic gardening book, an herb book and a couple recipe books. I am going to plan my canning schedule now so that I can make sure I am planting enough for my list. I made some awesome salsa last year and I want to make a lot more of it. Pickles were a great hit last year also. I will of course need to track down fruit to make into jam, leathers, dried, and canned fruit.
Ahhhh it has come, the best time of year. I am so looking forward to it.....until the weeds come. :)
