March 26, 2013 - Thank You, Mother Nature!

Finally!  After two weeks of *brrrrrr*, we got a day of lovely, warm sunshine!  I was champing at the bit to get out to the garden, so I grabbed my seeds, my gloves, my tools and a flat of seedlings and headed for "The Kennel Garden".

The Kennel Garden

As you may remember, Son John had given me that metal frame, knowing I'd find good use for it.  And I did.  It would be the perfect frame for attaching netting to keep leaf miners from my beets and spinach!  It also had ten 18"x18" squares already divided for me.  It's not a square foot garden, it's a square 1-1/2 foot garden!

I had put a lot of chopped up leaves in the bed earlier this year, so I moved the frame off of the bed, got my handy dandy little electric tiller out and made quick work of digging them in.  Then I replaced the frame and hauled in ten big buckets of composted manure, adding on bucket full to each of the ten squares.  I leveled and smoothed everything out, then set a sprinkler to run for 30 minutes while I took a lunch break.

Once the bed was well soaked, I began planting.  I planted one square with Olympia Hybrid spinach seedlings, one square of Space Hybrid spinach seedlings, and two squares of Tyee Hybrid spinach seeds.  Another square was planted with Paris Island Cos lettuce seedlings, then one square of Wild Garden Mix lettuce (teeny-tiny just germinated soil blocks).  Another square was planted with Ace Hybrid beet seeds, and another with Ruby Queen beet seeds.  Square #9 got an Ingot carrot seed mat, and square #10 was left bare for a second carrot mat (as yet not made).  Leftover Buttercrunch and Little gem lettuces filled in a couple of bare spots.

Tulle netting was attached with clamps to keep the leaf miners at bay.

Some of the seedlings are visible under the netting.

 Spinach and lettuce seedlings.

 More lettuce seedlings.

 There was just enough room at the end of the frame to put in a planter and two pots for planting future flowers.  Peas are planted on the outside of the kennel, on the left and on the right.  This end, on the outside, was planted with 6 seed mats of parsnips.  I planted them this morning, and had room for three mats each of Andover and Hollow Crown.  The small tomato cages are in a bed that will be the future home of a dozen or so sweet pepper plants.

 The Sugar Lace snap peas began emerging yesterday!  

I must get back to work, before it turns cold again.  I still have a row to till for future cabbages and broccoli seedlings, as well as another potato bed to prep.  Happy gardening, and may the sun shine upon you  :-)