Tuesday, April 13, 2010

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Yesterday, the Hub and I worked on getting the new garden site ready for planting. He did the majority of the work, but I helped! I even have my own work gloves now!

First thing in the morning, he had staked off the 8x12 area and moved Homey's slide and playhouse, since they had been living in that spot for about 3 years. I'm glad everything is getting moved because the area really is too sunny for all the toys to be there...making it perfect for me to grow some vegetables this summer. I hope.

So, I joined him out there to help remove all the grass before he tilled the soil. I was, however, horrified when he asked me to go get the wheelbarrow. The blasted thing was put away in the back of our garage. When I say the "back" of the garage, I mean a scary L shaped add-on to the actual garage. It's terrifying in there. I just know that bats, rats, and other Halloween characters live in there.

Isn't that terrifying?? I tried to give myself a different task, even a more difficult task. He tried to insist that I'm tough and brave. I emphasized that he's thinking of Homey, not me. She's tough and brave. I'm scared of most things, including the back of the garage. He didn't let up...he's mean like that. He made me get the wheelbarrow.


Yikes! Fortunately, nothing flew at my head, scampered by my feet, or tried to grab me from the dark shadows. I'm sure it was a fluke...the monsters were sleeping, surely. You've never seen someone get a wheelbarrow out so quickly though. I didn't scream, so maybe I am working toward being tough and brave like Homey.

So the work progressed. The Hubster looks at me at one point and says, "Do you have any idea what you're doing with this garden?" My reaction was to laugh hysterically. Really? Are you really asking me this question? When I stopped laughing, I said "Of course not! What on earth would give you the idea that I have any clue what I'm doing?" Maybe he hasn't taken a gander at the house plants lately. They're a sad story:


Seriously. Who else could so successfully kill a cast iron plant and a cactus?

But I told him not to worry because JMom will help me! He asks, "Is she going to come over everyday?"

I assured that she would help me keep an eye on what needs to be done on the back 40. To which he replies, "No really. Is she going to come over everyday?"

So, JMom, if you're reading this, we were wondering if you can come over everyday. Thanks for your consideration of our neediness.

But for now, the plot is de-grassed, tilled, and ready for more dirt to be added. I have no idea what I'm doing, but if you will refer to the comment from the previous post, my other mom Karen jotted down some great advice about mulch that I plan on following. Maybe between both moms and my own ambition, we'll be able to have a lush and prolific garden. As long as no one needs me to go in the back of the garage again. Because I won't. I bet this chick never had to fight zombies and vampires to pull out her wheelbarrow. And apparently her garden rocks!






7 comments:

  1. How funny! If you need any advice, Becky and Faye are planting their first garden too. Really though, they have no idea how to garden either! All I know is that I HATE gardening so I can't help--sorry!

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  2. JMom just informed me that my houseplants look like they belong to Shrek and Fiona. Oops :)

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  3. you know that if MelMom, aka Karen, were still in SC - she'd come to your house every day!

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  4. Melanie knows her Mom pretty well doesn't she? But that is why email and the wonders of the internet are so great. Julie, if you really want advise let me know and you know I will be more than pleased to give you my two cents. But before you plant a single seed if you want a productive garden get a soil test. Dig about 10-12 trowel fulls of soil from different areas of your newly dug plot and put them in a clean bucket, mix the "soil" well, then put a pint (that's 2 cups) of the mixed soil into a quart size ziploc bag and take it to your local extension office http://www.clemson.edu/extension/county/ and request a vegetable garden soil test ($6) and wait for the results (usually 1-2 weeks). The results will tell you what nutrients you need to add to your soil for a productive garden. While you are waiting on your results, determine what you want to grow (don't forget annual herbs like basil), plan out on paper (to the inch) where you will sow or plant seedlings (making sure to leave enough space for the plants to mature), then start buying seeds. If you don't like watering you may want to think about soaker hoses... PS I hope you don't think you will save money growing your own vegetables. Here is the Master Gardener website for Greenville, http://www.greatergreenvillemastergardener.org/ check it out.

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  5. BTW that cactus is a Christmas cactus and technically isn't a cactus like you and I would think of a cactus. In otherwords when the soil is dry water it...

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  6. Hi Karen, I'm Kathleen, can we be friends?

    Julie, I don't think I would have gotten the wheelbarrow (or is it wheelbarrel) either. That was clearly a mans job (I mean that in a very feministical way) but good for you for going in there without some kind of protective suit and eye wear.

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  7. I need a helmet for the back garage. And you freaked me out, Tafaleen, about the terminology! I googled it...it's wheelbarrow, lol.

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