Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend, 2014

Any portion of the yard that gets full sun all day long is now growing something other than grass.  Grass is a taker, not a giver.

I spent six hours in the backyard gardening yesterday.  Good times!  It feels fantastic having a garden established once again.  We are counting down the days until we can eat a freshly picked tomato like an apple.  

Herb bed in foreground; main raised bed in background;
strawberry bed running along the left of the raised bed; and the garlic bed,
on the right of the herb bed, wrapping around and then running the length of the raised bed on the right.

Strawberry bed and newly planted raised bed.  The blue cups are acting at cloches
to keep velvety lips and beaks from eating the tiny vegetable sprouts.

Newly established tomato bed!
That's 98 square feet of additional growing space.

Thank you for your service.

Growth in the garden

It's official, seedlings were planted in the garden bed this afternoon!  I am exhausted from moving, lifting, dumping, squatting, standing, squatting, standing, raking, pushing, and pulling soil and mulch around the new tomato bed; but exhilarated that the garden is officially planted.

All of the vegetable and herb seedlings have been added to their respective beds.  Later this weekend the flower seedlings, as well as many packets of flower seeds, will be planted around the yard.  John purchased a wonderful selection of flowers from a local nursery that will be planted in pots, too.

Several direct-sow seeds will be sown later this weekend as well.  Carrot, bean, corn, lettuce, radish, and beet, to name a few.  I love this time of year!

The front flower beds are lush and vibrant.  The late spring bloomers (poppies, iris, and peonies) are growing like gangbusters.  In fact, a single iris bloomed today.  By this time next week, the front yard should be a riot of color.  We can hardly wait!

The red and black raspberry bushes are full of leaves and teeny tiny developing flower heads.  The strawberry bed is dotted heavily with cheery white flowers.  We are eager for berry overload!

"Revolution is based on land.  Land is the basis of all independence."

~Malcolm X, November 10, 1963

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All of the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today.

~Indian Proverb

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"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt."

~Margaret Atwood