The fabulous warm temperatures this weekend encouraged me to start preparing the raised beds for growing season. Since I didn't harvest everything at the end of the season last year, I think I'm going to have some volunteers in some of the beds. Onions and carrots are already coming up in two of the beds! Need to work them into the guilds I'm designing -- along with some garlic. Mmmm!
The compost has finally decomposed fairly uniformly so I doubled up on one of the frames, one on top of another, and filled it with finished compost. My youngest loves to garden with me, so she helped me put in the seed 'taters. Going to move several of the frames more to the west. I think the maple is shading them out too much in the mornings. Also need to put together more frames. I think I'm ready to expand the garden a bit. Of course, this means putting down more weed (grass) block and getting a bunch more wood chip mulch. I can't keep up with our little wood chipper. Actually, it's not the wood chipper... it's cutting down all those little trees and bushes. Lots of work and not enough time.
Talking of compost, finally took the can in the kitchen full of decayed veggies out. Last time I did that was probably November. Definitely ripe! I've also been collecting used coffee grounds so I emptied and cleaned about a half dozen buckets into the pile. And, I put all the remaining dead garden vegetation into the compost to add woody material that will hopefully absorb some of that smell from the kitchen scraps.
Finally, my seed starts are sprouting! Globe Artichoke, Stinging Nettles, Luffa, Good King Henry are so far the only ones poking out. Still waiting on Comfrey, sweet peppers, and Seabuckthorn. Have a bunch more later season seeds that I've not started yet.
