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rebellion of the sodbusters

Well, it has happened . . . sooner than I expected, to be quite honest. Lisa, Kim and I worked for about 90 minutes. I think the word rototiller was mentioned 45 times within that span of time. With diligent work, we were able to clear the sod from another 4×20′ bed. If we are going to have a home for all the tomatoes that we have started, we need to dig several more beds. Let’s not forget that Cindy wants some sweet potatoes. So, we will check in to renting a sod cutter . . . or not 😉

beginning of the 90 minutes

life in the ‘hood

Lisa & Jennifer demonstrate good form: Lisa expends some excess energy with a ponytail flip

end of the 90 minutes–nothin’ left but the digging

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garden party

Well, the first garden party is in the books–and it was a cold one! With two hours of continuous work, we were pretty much able to finish up three beds, for a total of four. Then we took a nice little break and listened to some music while we finalized garden plans. So far we have a patio, chimenea, fence, organic fertilizer generators (aka chickens), and a hot tub as options.

 

 

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peas! stop already!!

runaway peas
runaway peas

The peas are out of control. We need to get them in the ground, but the temp is supposed to be 19 degrees tomorrow night. That just won’t do; however, in a few days it is supposed to be 60 degrees and sunny. Today Mom did some transplanting to larger containers, but it was a tedious process. We have decided to hang on for a few more days and then plant them in the ground and protect them with row cover. In the meantime, Dwight has fabricated some climbing dowels. We will also have to get a couple of 5′ stakes and then some twine for the peas to climb. Should be an exciting time in the garden this weekend.

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Sodbusting Party

Kim, Lisa and Dwight HARDLY working

Dwight

quittin’ time

view from the back of the property


Here’s what happens when you send out a group text mentioning that there will be a little garden work happening between 4:30-6:00pm. After I sent the text, I checked the weather: rainy and cold. As you can see, it was a very cold, gray day. The high temp today was 44 degrees. We were, however, very productive! We had so much fun that we have another party tentatively scheduled for Fri; however, thunderstorms are forecast for this evening and tomorrow–maybe even some sleet around daybreak. So that means that we might not be able to get back in the dirt for awhile.

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Building a garden

We have peas that are ready to be transplanted! Now! This situation, of course, led us to get busy digging our first bed on Piper Street. It took about 2 1/2 hours to measure off and bust the sod. The first bed, which runs east to west measures 18 feet. We are planning to add three more beds perpendicular to the first bed. We are thinking 20 feet long, four feet wide, with three feet pathways. On the north side of the garden we are planning to build two garden sheds that will screen the garden from the street, as well as demarcate the border between the house yard and the garden area.

 

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Whoa!

Here is what happens when I leave town for 36 hours. Mom and I went to visit Grandma yesterday. When I arrived home, the peas had shot up another two inches–NOT an exaggeration!  We need to hurry up and get a place for these; otherwise . . . Here’s what the crop looked like:

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purple podded peas

peasLook at those peas go! These seedlings are only six days old. They are in a west window, so they only get direct sun for half of the day. They seem to be happy. Not exaggerating–they grew at least one inch since I left them this morning in the dark. Seriously, this makes me want to try some time lapse photography.

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germination!

Wow! Three days ago I planted seeds. Since then, everything has emerged except for the herbs (rosemary and basil). Very exciting! The most advanced are the peas. Here’s the evidence:

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