Planting

After one of the coldest springs in a long time, we're finally around the bend - it's Spring.

For us, that means putting our garden.  This year, though, was different since we had to start from scratch instead of just working with a garden with great soil, but a host of weeds all ready and waiting to pop up. 

This year though, we had to first convert the by-law required 6 inches of pea gravel that was laid down for the slides and swings used by the family daycare that used to be here.  We were able to give much of the pea gravel away to friends who filled in walkways or potholes.  C. then spent hours sifting through the remaining gravel/sand mixture and we were left with some very, very sandy soil.  We weren't surprised by this.  Though we live above the 200 year flood plan marker, much of our city is in a river valley.  We were able to get some decent soil for cheap and then got some mushroom manure from a fund raiser to help feed the dirt.  It's not as lovely as the soil at our old house, but we figure we'll just add more and more compost and fertilizer as we go.   And, as I alluded to, it does have the wonderful quality of having no weed seeds in it...yet.

Currently taking root:

• salad greens
  
• spinach
• beets
• snap peas
• carrots
• bush beans
• kohlrabi
  
• radishes
• onions
• cilantro
• basil

This last weekend C. picked us up a 'fruit salad' tree.  It's just the trunk with 4 short branches sticking out right now, but in time, those branches will produce 2 different types of plums, peaches and apricots.  We were realizing that this tree will likely not appeal to one's traditional aesthetic sense when it comes to trees - it'll have different sets of leaves and will bud, blossom and fruit at slightly different rates.  Good thing we're just looking for some yummy fruit!

On the same outing, we also picked up and then planted some raspberry canes and since they're suckers, we should build up a nice little patch in a few years.  We also are trying something new: watermelon.  We're too cool a climate to start it from seed, but C. picked up the seedling on a whim and we'll see how it goes!  We also planted some pepper seedlings and next week will get some heirloom tomato seedlings from a co-worker.  She has seeds brought sent over from her husband's family in Poland and I'm looking forward to using seed that that doesn't have a patent!

Now, we wait.