Saturday, March 24, 2012

Roadside Gardening Has Begun

The roadside vegetable garden on woodchip mulch has begun a new season. Last week I seeded lettuces, sugar snap peas, chard and spinach. With the warm temps and plenty rain, germination has begun. A certain someones who shall remain nameless was using the exposed soft earth for a latrine. You may notice rows of sticks poking out of my freshly seeded beds. Those got added today.



Carrots, parsley and dill were seeded today with a bit more lettuce and a row of potatoes was planted.

I never got around to adding any dung to the garden. I don't think it was finished composting. The compost turning process never really took off over the winter. As black as my soil is getting on woodchip mulch alone I don't think I need worry. The dung can be added later.



A half row of potatoes I never got around to digging was left to ride into the new season. We shall see how that works. As warm as the soil has gotten I knew they would have sprouted and started to grow. No sense in digging them up now. Per request real shelling peas were planted around the bean teepee. I hope they can cling to that without extra help.

The roadside vegetable garden is not big enough anymore. With the strawberries taking up so much real estate I don't know where I am going to plant the raccoon's corn. I certainly don't want to piss off the raccoon.

Rows will open up after the early spring crops are done. Some how it will work out. I definitely had to save space for tomatoes, squashes, cucumbers, peppers and parsnips. The chef will be happy to hear I have abandoned turnips and beets for more valuable crops.



The grass in the roadside wildflower bed was cut down and a light top dressing of woodchips was added more as a fertilizer than a mulch. Fresh growth was too far along for a heavy mulch. It would have smothered things. This bed would be best mulched in late fall or early winter.



Real spring time temperatures of highs in the 60's and lows in the 40's are finally returning with the current rain for the coming week. I got enough satisfaction out of what I planted today to be able to hold off on the hot weather crops closer to the proper time. That proper time is May 15th, seven weeks away. Can you believe it? Normally snow, cold and hard freezes are still a real possibility. If that should happen now panic could ensue. Not for the spring vegetable crops, they will be fine, but for the entire wild cultivated garden which thinks it is the first of May.

6 comments:

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Your roadside garden is looking productive with the tepee and the rows marked. I wish we were getting some of that rain you have been talking about. We have the warmer weather but no rain. Sigh~~

Anonymous said...

LOL about the raccoon! Yes, there are tales around here in Md. about people wondering why tomato plants aren't for sale yet.......Mother Nature is not to be trusted. Good luck with the veggie garden this year, sans sunflowers.
bev

Christopher C. NC said...

Lisa it has been raining very regular of late. Makes dividing, transplanting and planting new things stress free. Currently 45 degrees. No tomatoes yet.

Bev the Lowes had the tomatoes out today. I was not going to be fooled. Yea the corn is my trap crop so the raccoon will leave everything else alone. No sunflowers, maybe one or two, and I have seen the first few germinating already.

Lola said...

The neighbors pets have used my front bed for a latrine. Have to straighten it out all the time. Potatoes, onions, beets & radishes are in there, not to mention carrots & kale.
Your roadside garden looks fine. Can't find Roma's here so planted some seed. Hope it works.

Siria said...

It looks like there's already green sprouting about in the roadside vegetable garden. I'm glad you will still have a few of those gorgeous sunflowers in there, and I hope to see some at my place this year too! I already have some of your seeds germinating here and will transplant later this coming month once the seedlings have gotten large enough. I don't trust the rabbits!!!

chuck b. said...

It was so warm last month I thought about trying vegetables again this year. But now it's quite cold so I'm glad I didn't start early anyway.