March 3, 2013 - And So It Begins

Spring must be near. I spent the day cleaning up the garden shed. I should have taken "before" pictures to show just what a mess had accumulated over the winter. I couldn't even walk through it, it was filled with folding fencing, plant supports, dirty buckets of all shapes and sizes, lumber, garden tools propped against the walls, the old rototiller that ran its last time when we dug in the leaves earlier this spring. And dirt, dirt, dirt....everywhere!

I called Son John and asked him to bring me a 1/2 yard load of composted manure from the nursery, so he loaded what he could in the dump trailer, and put the rest on a tarp in the garage.  While he was here, I had him install a garden tool hanger on the back wall, so everything now has a place of its own.  The rototiller went home with Son John, who will rebuild the motor and hopefully get another 30 years of service from it.

The cart of compost will stay nice and dry, and it's close to the garden now.  It has to be taken in by the bucket load, as there is no gate large enough to take the trailer into the garden.  All the trash was picked up, and the leaf blower did a good job of clearing out the dirt and cobwebs.  Buckets and pots were neatly stacked for now, and will get a good washing when I have time.

Shelves were all cleaned off and items neatly arranged.  The mini-greenhouse was readied for the cool weather seedlings.  Lights are hung inside, and trays are waiting to be filled with seedling mix.

After we were so nice to our spoiled little dogs last fall, moving the kennel over next to the patio and covering it so they would have a dry area to "do their duty" through the winter months, they never did use it.  Oh, Annie did pee in it, enough to kill the grass, but the poops were still all over the back yard.  So yesterday, when Daughter Amy, Granddaughter Alicia and her Boyfriend Aaron were here, we took off the tarp and they and Mr. Granny carried the kennel back out to the garden for me.  I had them set it in so the long side was parallel to the cedar fence, with enough space to walk behind it.  That will give me a nice long 6' high chain link for snap peas this spring, and for the Fortex pole beans in the summer/fall.  I'll be able to pick from both inside and outside the chain link.  We also left enough space in the corner for the compost bin, which I'm in the process of building.  I still have several bags of leaves to be added once I get a sturdy area for them.

I also moved the 4'x8' garden box to the center of the kennel.  That has always been unused (but filled with flowers) space, but I needed a spot for the spinach and beets.  They have to be covered to keep them from being infested with leaf miners, so I had planned on installing PVC hoops to hold the netting.  However, last fall John brought over this metal rack from his work, thinking I could find good use for it.  Aha!  Perfect for holding the netting!  I'll have to fill the box up with good compost first.  That's going to take a lot of bucket loads!

Inside, leek seeds planted three days ago are already emerging, as are several lettuce seeds that are only two days from planting.  They will soon be moved to the mini-greenhouse in the garden shed, and joined by yet to be planted cabbage and broccoli.  Next week the peppers will be started, followed by tomatoes and flowers, which will all be grown on these shelves in the house.

Spring has begun.