A shed takes shape

Where once there was a compost pile, now there are six beams planted. Yes, beams. Not beans. Beams. They are the beginning of our garden shed, a much-needed house for our tools, seeds, and other supplies. This past Saturday, we also got started on the urbanite floor. We have no blueprint, just a mental plan that we're kind of altering as we go -- roots and schedules have to be accomodated, after all. And although it will be a slow project, worked on in tiny steps, we're very pleased it's underway.

Thanks to Tina for brining by her holiday Poinsettia -- we'll find a spot where it can grow big and wild, like they like to do down here.

The kale, carrots, beets, and lettuces are nearly ready to be planted. Almost all of them have their first true leaves, and when they all do, we'll get them in the ground. And then it will be tiime to start summer plants!

Some movement and a few slithery visitors

What glorious weather for gardening! And we’ve been busy catching up on the seasonal tasks and tending to the daily ones. I’ve been sprouting lots of veggie seeds at home, reasoning that a transplant needs slightly less attention than a seed (and my attention has been pretty thin lately!). So perhaps in two or three weeks the garden will look significantly fuller. This, assuming I can thwart dampening off, a long-standing issue of mine with seed starting.

But a few things will look new the next time you’re there: we’re beginning to plant some of Robin’s aloe babies as borders; the fig tree is finally in the ground; the butterfly bush has been trimmed and relocated next to the om sculpture; the clary sage and canna have been relocated to help create a border near the west edge of the bottle wall; and finally, the little bed that we so often forget at the east side of the garden next to the camellia is finally being delineated and planted! Apparently our neglect was appreciated by at least one little garden friend, this gray rat snake:



We also were paid a visit by a cutie pie skink:



And here are a few new residents, baby calendulas sprouted from the seeds that did so well for us last year:



Teresa’s still doing the weekend watering, Patty has Mondays, and Lydia Wednesdays – anyone want to jump into a weeding slot? Or care to water as needed on Fridays?

We're back!

Woohoo! The baby's been born, he's been assimilated into our life, and the garden again has a resident writer.

Our winter planting was a little slow getting started, but even so we have a good showing of greens -- collard and mustard, a nice double row of garlic, one swiss chard plant and some companions in the seed stage, and several pot marigolds about to pop their heads above the soil. The parsley, too, is healthy as can be, and the other herbs, sage, rosemary, comfrey, garlic chives, catnip, rue, and wormwood, are weathering the winter beautifully. So the garden looks patchy, but it's far from dormant.

And today I planted a paperwhite that I stole from the backyard of my rented house. I feel a little weird about that. But I don't think karma extends to transplanting.

Seed catalogues are out!! Anyone else giddy with delight?