Today was a grand spring day. The sun was shining, the air was crisp. Cool but not uncomfortably so. I saw my first dragonfly today! This is surely a sign of spring. Much more so than the traditional robin. Robins will turn up well before the cold stuff goes. But dragonfly larvae won't come out if they can't survive. They like things reasonably warm, and they like it when it stays that way. So I always relish the first sighting of a dragonfly.
I also got a ton of stuff done for the garden. I separated my tomatoes. Usually I start two per pot, just in case one doesn't germinate. This year they all did pretty well, so I weeded out the weak looking ones, and put the stronger looking ones in their own pot. These I will give away to friends and family. I also finally got my tomatillos planted. Fortunately they grow like weeds, so I'm not expecting them to pose a problem as far as timing goes. I planted a flat of basil and a flat of sage. All that's left is direct sowing the beans when it's warm enough!
All in all I'm pretty pleased with the way the garden is going. I'm very excited for the end result of all of this work. Fresh veggies of all varieties. Delicious jellies and salsas. Pesto that lasts all year long. Mmmm.
I got the tiller running too! It was a little crotchety after the long winter, but finally fired off today, so I set to the task of tilling. Tilling goes in stages for me. After the first few rows, I look at the remaining garden and think, "Whoa - there is so much left to do. This is going to take forever." Then after a few more rows, and what seems like forever, there is still so much to do. But I persevere. At some point after what seems like days in the dirt, I look over my little plot and see that most of it is tilled under. At this point I get a very contented feeling. It's almost done! And the rest of the till goes quickly, it seems.
I do love working the earth. Amending the soil. (With all organic materials. No chemicals for my food.) Tiling, preparing, planting, tending, harvesting. I feel most at home there. Anybody who loves gardening will understand the thrill of seeing the little seedlings pop through the surface and grow. Anyone who doesn't should try it a time or two and see if the bug will bite. It did for me. I never thought I'd love gardening as much as I do.
More Later
I also got a ton of stuff done for the garden. I separated my tomatoes. Usually I start two per pot, just in case one doesn't germinate. This year they all did pretty well, so I weeded out the weak looking ones, and put the stronger looking ones in their own pot. These I will give away to friends and family. I also finally got my tomatillos planted. Fortunately they grow like weeds, so I'm not expecting them to pose a problem as far as timing goes. I planted a flat of basil and a flat of sage. All that's left is direct sowing the beans when it's warm enough!
All in all I'm pretty pleased with the way the garden is going. I'm very excited for the end result of all of this work. Fresh veggies of all varieties. Delicious jellies and salsas. Pesto that lasts all year long. Mmmm.
I got the tiller running too! It was a little crotchety after the long winter, but finally fired off today, so I set to the task of tilling. Tilling goes in stages for me. After the first few rows, I look at the remaining garden and think, "Whoa - there is so much left to do. This is going to take forever." Then after a few more rows, and what seems like forever, there is still so much to do. But I persevere. At some point after what seems like days in the dirt, I look over my little plot and see that most of it is tilled under. At this point I get a very contented feeling. It's almost done! And the rest of the till goes quickly, it seems.
I do love working the earth. Amending the soil. (With all organic materials. No chemicals for my food.) Tiling, preparing, planting, tending, harvesting. I feel most at home there. Anybody who loves gardening will understand the thrill of seeing the little seedlings pop through the surface and grow. Anyone who doesn't should try it a time or two and see if the bug will bite. It did for me. I never thought I'd love gardening as much as I do.
More Later
