Pumpkins

The four year olds adopted the pumpkins and beans this year. On their first planting visit, they were so excited to see what was in the big supply box. And, of course, they love wearing the gloves!

It just so happened that they were learning about the letter 'P' this week so they quickly picked up on the fact the "poking", "patting" and "pushing" (the soil) - and pumpkins - all started with the letter P! Thanks, gardeners, for providing this alphabetical boost!

First Delivery of 2010

Sweet spring strawberries, chives, green onions, thyme and oregano - and that lone carrot that sprung up from last year's planting! Delivered all but the carrot to Lewis House; the first of many more baskets of fruit, herbs and vegetables from our garden this year.

Woolch

The Woolch was rolled out and put in the garden last week. We placed it where the melons, pumpkins, tomatoes, and peppers will be planted.

To keep it from blowing off the garden, we grabbed some rocks from our ever growing rock pile to anchor down the edges.

We're excited to see how well it keeps the weeds from growing.

Getting Down to Business

Beautiful afternoon for setting up the fence and trellis! First we rolled out the fence that had been stored over the winter. Then we spent some time untwisting the chicken wire . . . .
And added the trellis for the tomatoes and the climber for the peas.

Now the rabbits will stay on their side of the fence, we'll stay on ours, and everybody will be happy.

Straw, Berries and Snacks

We were working out amongst the straw and berries this afternoon .

We needed energy to step out the rows and plant the crop signs, so naturally Joan brought out some Swedish Fish, since I had left the M&Ms in the office. Swedish Fish are a known vulture attractant, and sure enough, the vultures began circling.

Luckily, we were able to stow the candy and go back to work, and the vultures turned up their noses and coasted away.

Next time we'll snack on the asparagus.

Plants won't wait for Planting

We won't be officially planting for another week or two,



but don't expect that to stop the rhubarb. or strawberries or onions or celery . . . they're all well on the way to salad.

Great Donations!

It was a great week for donations to the garden.

Friday Joan and I went to an alpaca farm to pick up two truck-loads of manure and some straw bales. What fun it was to watch the alpaca, and to play with the kittens and dogs running around.

Sunday, I went to Grazeland Farm to pick up a generous donation of Woolch. For those of you that are interested: Woolch™ is a blend of wool fibers and wood shavings. The wool is waste fiber from the yarn/blanket making process at a Minnesota woolen mill. The wood is a waste by-product created from virgin timber as it goes through the sawmill process near Cloquet, MN. These fibers are blended, sprayed with a green vegetable-based dye, and then fused together via a roller and heat process at a small industrial plant on the edge of Minnesota’s Iron Range region. See this web site for more information: http://www.mlwp.org/woolch.htm

More information will be coming on the straw bales and how the Woolch works. Happy Gardening!