Monday, February 27, 2012

spring chores


Last fall I sprinkled a lot of poppy seeds plus some larkspur and a hodge podge of other seeds in the spot where the burn pile was until I moved it further back. We have sort of encroached on the 13 acre field as have several of our neighbors, at least those of us without a fence behind. Well, that might just be us and Alan and Frank. We keep it mowed along with the rest of the yard and since it is just a fallow field that sometimes gets hayed and is owned by a group of family members in an area where nobody ever sells land, why would you do that?, it's not really a big deal.

Anyway, a couple of years ago, I moved the burn pile further back which left this big burned spot where it used to be. I tried to turn as much of the charcoal and ash into the ground as I could but it still looked pretty black. It's back there at the back of the property in the last 5' feet of our proper boundary at the end of the drain field. Weeds and field sunflowers have been growing in it.

The poppies and other seeds came from a couple of members of the garden club who had collected seeds all year long from their gardens and had way more than they needed. It was actually the acquisition of these seeds that made me look for someplace to plant them and that old spot out in the sun seemed the obvious place so I decided to impose a bit of order on it this year.

Because some of the poppies started blooming last week, I got in there Saturday and cleaned out all the weeds that had taken hold and hundreds of sunflowers that were crowding the poppies (don't worry, plenty left) that are already crowding themselves since I didn't do any thinning.


You can see the new burn pile behind the poppies and despite having burned it to the ground two weeks ago, it has already started to grow again.


Sunday I started on the garden. It needs to be turned and we want to enlarge it and straighten it up this year. This is all I got done, about an 18” - 20” wide strip before my hands started complaining. It is hard, clayey, grass had encroached as well as roots from the tree. It didn't get turned last fall after the long hot dry summer. If I was smart, I'd go rent a tiller instead of using my hands, a claw, and a shovel but I'm not sure I could manhandle the thing.

Besides, I like to dig. I like to feel the dirt in my hands and crumble it, picking out the grub worms and roots and nut grass; getting it all friable, or as friable as possible in this dirt, smoothing it over getting it ready to be planted.

It's satisfying somehow.



14 comments:

  1. There is NOTHING more satisfying. To me, at least.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The earth is so fertile!

    Your poppies are beautiful. I squinted hard but could not see the Emerald City on he horizon. Oh well

    ReplyDelete
  3. I know there is a certain sort of satisfaction from working with the earth but if I started a garden I'm afraid I'd have to find someone to do the tilling. Such a lazy girl I am. :)
    Regardless, you're have so much to proud of and a garden of great veggies soon. My dad was like this, spending all day in the yard.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ah, turning dirt, planting, yet another beautiful season to look forward to. Those poppies are doing a great job hiding the burn side.

    ReplyDelete
  5. As you know its where I spend alot of my spare time - got a few days off at the end of the week so that's where I'm heading (that's not part of the Momnetous Occassion)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I have given up. I am envious of your little plot of rich dark soil...Mr. Man wrecks everything I try to do in the yard- removes my flowers, piles bark on top of everything and puts plastic under it to try to prevent weeds. That never works, weeds are a hand job...Anyway, your garden looks great!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Just getting your hands in the soil sounds soo nice. I love all the poppies. If you burn the tips when cut they last longer i have heard.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I have sandy soil, here, with lots of rocks I'm always picking out of the garden. I like to work in the garden too, planting tomatoes and a few other veggies, tending to them all summer. I do always have someone till it first at the beginning of the season before I set in the plants.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hmmm..I think I'd forgive myself a rototilling a year after a drought. The blisters would love you. Then, how about your back, and shoulders, and arms.....

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love poppies, Mom used to have that same color.

    Your dirt is so rich, looks like it will grow a garden well.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm laughing at Reya's comment too :) I LOVE poppies! They're my favorite flower after peonies. When we drive to NC in the spring we get to see loads of them on the highway as part of a beautification project - it works!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Love those poppies and can't wait to see the sunflowers, which are my faves. I think that I would have to pay someone to till that garden, but I admire your determination! Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete

I opened my big mouth, now it's your turn.