The great score of a delivered, full load of woodchips allowed me to mulch the bed I have been creating that runs parallel to the road behind the fence much sooner than I had expected. There is a semi-blank slate now that is calling out for some eye catching plantings. Semi-blank because I have already planted a Picea abies 'Nidiformis', two Miscanthus and the Eremurus, Foxtail Lily bulbs. I cleaned around an existing Ironweed,Vernonia novaboracensis and a nice, unknown sedge. I will find out just how tough the New England Aster and the Goldenrod are because I put down the mulch extra thick. They will have to fight hard to push through.
The bed that runs along the driveway is already well planted. So far there is looking to be a good return of plants for the spring. The Goldenrod I left in here that backs this bed is looking particularly robust.
The roadside vegetable garden has been fully mulched. Three kind lettuce, radishes, broccoli and sugar snap peas have been seeded. A little chainsaw work was done at the far end on some fallen timber. A general tidying up of the accumulated debris of twenty years of roadside vegetable gardening has commenced.
Some stuff will have to go to the dump, dump, not the regular kind trash drop off. We managed to acquire several hundred feet of phone wire. The phone company buried their lines long ago and left the old stuff on the poles. The electric company did not think they should have to take the phone wire that did not belong to them when they installed all new poles and electric wire. They just detached it from their poles and left it there.
I'm really just a squatter or maybe a tenant farmer on the right hand side of my entry. I need to leave plenty room for the resident gardeners to plant their summer crops. I think they will appreciate all the prep work done.
I think we will all appreciate the food that will soon feed us.
More on wood chips as mulch in the vegetable garden. You can see how it is working out.
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6 comments:
Your plot is becoming neat and tidy. A very satisfying feeling.
It sure looks nice. Can't wait to see when it all blooms :o)
oh my gosh, where did all the frost and snow covered ground go ? !
It's been tooooo long since I have checked into your blog.
Wow, how the seasons have changed !
And look at all this fantastic work you have done !
Amazing !
The stone wall looks fab and the veggie garden looks its gonna be a huge producer.
I really ought to get out more often.
Wonderful seasonal changes !
Happy spring.
Tidy is a start and it is an improvement that feels good. If only I had the same budget as the empty house across the street, then it would be a truly grand entry.
Michelle, I do believe you have been a bit busy of late, followed by a wind down and hopefully follow ups with potential new clients.
My poor wall has been neglected since spring has come a calling. That urge to get out in the garden has been pretty powerful.
Wow... that entrance looks really nice. And what a great score on the mulch.
Did you worry about putting the fresh mulch on the veggie garden bed, though? All that stuff about decomposing mulch stripping the soil of nutrients, etc.? (These are things I am lazy about myself, and figure I'll try it and see what happens... so I'm curious.)
Kim I have been using brand spanking new, extra fresh wood chip mulch on plants for twenty years and have never had any nutrient deficiency problems. Exactly the opposite was more like it. If a naked bed with bare hard soil and sad struggling plants was mulched, the plants vigor improved quickly.
Now I did this in Hawaii where the optimum temperature for decomposition occured 24/7. Maybe it will be different here. I doubt it. I mulched the one bed I planted along the drive last year when I planted and all the plants did very well.
If I decide to grow corn it will need nitrogen no matter what.
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