A piece of Heaven

Monday was spectacular. So warm in fact, that I had to take shade breaks in between planting. The blossoms are out on the trees which always makes me pull out my camera.

I had one more wheelbarrow load of manure to get and I still have room in the boxes. In time I hope to have lots of lovely compost to fill them with. In the morning I went to the woods nearby and gathered up some old leaves for the compost pile. Being the wrong season for raking leaves that is pretty much the only place I could think of to get them. There were lots there and I also picked up a few sticks to be used later to make some handmade tomato supports. A longer trip will be needed to get more. I haven't really had much in the way of compost but I want to do it right so according to the books you need to balance green matter, household peels, eggshells, coffee etc. with brown, which is leaves. I have a nice silver bucket that sits on my kitchen counter that I got from Lee Valley Tools for my kitchen scraps. It works great and has a filter built into the top and is nice enough to be able to sit on the counter. It has a handle and is pretty easy to tote each week down to the garden.



The one thing I am worried about is how much composted manure I have in the plots. I hope it isn't too much. I tried to put some compost in as well but it is pretty difficult to lug too much as my garden is quite a ways from the parking lot. I tried to not put any in where the carrots were going but otherwise there is a shall we say a **** load of it. Oh well, if I keep at it the soil will hopefully get better with time with all the organic material I plan on putting in. Whatever lovely compost I get by fall will get dug in and tucked in with some leaves.

Isn't this a lovely spot with the mountains in the back, picnic tables to have lunch and a rest and swallows to watch swooping in and out of the birdhouses.

I planted sweet peas, sunflowers, delphinium seeds, poppy seeds, cosmos and lavatera. My bee balm has disappeared from the flower bed. I think when the boxes were installed it got dug under and I will have to bring more from home. I love it but it does kind of spread. The potatoes, onions, garlic and some peas and carrots also went in. The main garlic I will plant in fall. A few more things will go in next weekend and the weather looks fabulous! The forecast is for sun at least until the weekend. Only two weeks more and tomatoes and hopefully beans will go in.

Sounds like another trip to my favourite garden centre.

Progress

Finally the weather is cooperating and the little garden had a very productive few days. John finished up the fence and gate and it is beautiful. I'm loving it! I especially love the curve on the top of the gate. A much better feeling walking up and seeing my little oasis. So much better now that it is lower too.

My hubby and I spent a couple of hours yesterday filling those boxes with composted manure. Four wheelbarrow loads and my back and arms are sore. I hope it isn't too much manure but hopefully with the soil that is in there it will work. I'm going to top dress with a bit of compost (store bought). With any luck next year I will have lots of my own to use. I'm bringing my kitchen scraps every week to add to the pile. I have to go scrounging around to find some leaves for it. It also looks like I will need to get some kind of mulch for the potatoes and tomatoes and straw seems to be the thing to get. I don't even know where you buy a bale of straw. Not something I think they sell at Home Depot or a garden centre.

My paths are a bit muddy due to the wet weather and will need a bit of a fix but all in good time.

I have the day off tomorrow (Monday) and we are due to have another nice dry day so will be off to plant a few things and to perhaps install my little pop up greenhouse for the tomatoes. It should warm the soil for them so I can plant them in a couple of weeks. I noticed that everyone has planted tomatoes in their greenhouses already so it must be okay.