This was a great weekend for gardening! Cool, but not too cold, sunny in parts, cloudy at times. Just fine.I went out to the community garden both days this weekend. The three raised beds are done! I added more compost to them, and this upcoming weekend I think I'm going to go to the Lexington compost facility and get even more, but the basic structure is done! Yay!
These raised beds are made using the lasagne method: 4 layers of newspaper or heavy brown paper, 1 thin layer of twigs and branches (1 -2 inches), 1 layer of brush and straw from previous plants (1 - 2 inches), 1 layer of salt marsh hay (2 - 3 inches), 1 layer of shredded pine bark mulch (1/2 inch), and a thick layer of compost from various sources (4 inches or more). It's going to sit for at least 2 weeks - I'm not planting there until after May 15th. If I'd had all winter, I would have put the free horse manure from down the street, but alas, I didn't get until a couple of weeks ago.
In the background you can see the strawberry beds, which have a gianormous amount of weeding to be done. The blueberries look like they're starting to grow, so it's just a matter of time now!
One thing is, I wonder if anyone knows what this weed is - I thought it might be vetch. I feel like I might be digging up some kind of really awesome natives, but Alix and Meg both swear that most of it is purple loosestrife and the rest is just weeds. Well, at least the strawberry plants are still blooming!
I also worked some in my own home garden. I:
- potted up Federle paste tomatoes
- started Dorinny Corn
- started more Aparagus "purple passion" from seed
- Divded a bunch of Hostas
- Moved the "American Highbush Cranberry" Viburnum trilobum to over by the house.
- Added two new natives to the garden - Fothegilla minor and Viginia Sweetspire.
I was all sad that I hadn't seen my Mason Bees in a while, then I looked down and low and behold, there was one feeding on a dandelion! I thought it was a fly, until I heard it fly away, and saw that iridescent flash of green. Hoo-ray! Now I am wondering how many of those flies I've been seeing are just flies! I bought them clay, but it was "clay", like from the art store, and now I'm wondering if that was a mistake, or if I should mix it up with my regular soil, I don't know. They don't seem to be using it. Maybe the females aren't awake yet. My fruit trees haven't really started to bloom. I hope they're doing okay!
Posts
2 comments:
I've seen that weed too! It does look like a vetch but the leaves are too round and close together.
http://www.ppws.vt.edu/scott/weed_id/vicsa.htm
If you find out let us know...
I'm impressed with all you accomplished over the weekend!
Looks to me like vetch. If it is you definitely don't want it in your garden. I fought a several year battle to eradicate some that I planted. It took huge doses of Round-up to finally get rid of it, and I would never knowingly put it in a flower bed again.
Post a Comment