March 2019

March 2019

March 30, 2019  
Really, March 30th and nothing posted here in the March blog. This month has flown by with all types of weather. March did indeed come in like a lion and is going out like a …. sheep not a lamb. It still has a lingering of cold and chance of snow in the forecast. So far it's missed us but the threat is still there.

GARDENING YEAR IS HERE

I do love the Spring flowers. They just don't last long enough. These are always the first to come up and are so colorful. Crocus is one of my favorite flowers. Daffodils, Tulips, and Hyacinth are the others that are on my favorite Spring flower list.

TERRA NOVA GARDEN

The garden is such a mess. This is the starting point for Terra Nova Gardens. Last year was a total bust and the garden went rogue. It totally went wild and I lost all control and finally just gave it all up for a season that was lost. Only my backyard raised beds did I get any harvest from. Hopefully, this year will be a different year. There were just too many family and friend responsibilities last year. My plan this year is to garden early before family and friends schedule take over for the day. If I can get a couple hours every day, it should be enough to reclaim the portion of the garden that I want to manage this year. The rest will be given a sabbatical under tarps. 

There is a granite countertop business near my house that throws away the pallets that the countertops are shipped in. These pallets are 12 feet long and 32 inches wide. They are made from heavy oak wood and weigh probably close to 100 pounds. Here is a plan to make raised beds even more raised than the rocks. The pallets have to be remanufactured some before using in the garden but still they will be a great asset to get some raised beds that are ascetically pleasing to the eye. How long they will last before rotting out, I don't know but I'm hoping for at least two to three years. By then I'll have a new plan for longer life.

So this is bed 11 which is next to the bed with the weed mess. This bed is the first to receive the make over. Much of the weed mess, about 18 inches deep, has been piled on top of the bed and then dirt is piled on top of the dried out weeds. Another layer of weed cleanup will cover the dirt and then another layer of dirt will finish out the raised bed. I originally wanted to plant sweet corn in this bed but have changed my mind to use it for potatoes.

This is over half of the sides up and with the first layer of dried weed cleanup and dirt. Now for the fabrication of the next section of pallets. That's it for today.