And we're back...

Some things learned in the last two or so months:

• Gardens are alive. You just can't leave them to themselves.
• Grass mulch eventually dries out and must be replenished periodically
• Eternal vigilance is the only weapon against the squash moth
• All the culinary herbs I really need to grow can go into two strawberry pots.
• If you follow the directions for building a proper compost heap, its interior will indeed get hot as billy blue blazes with beneficial microbes eating everything up
• Pollinator- attracting plants are crucial. Try to find native ones.
• Some weed block doesn't, very much

I didn't exactly ignore the garden through June and July, but it didn't get the nuturing it really needed, because I was doing the summer musical. I won't attempt both next year.

This last week has been a matter of pulling up old plants, amending the soil, working on the paths, setting up a better watering system with soaker hoses, re-constructing the compost heap and other chores to get ready for the next growing season.

Re-working the bed grids, trying to work out the plantings for Fall. I bought the new Square Foot Gardening and he says not to worry too much about rotation, but I planted squashes, all of which eventually succumbed to heat/pests, in random spots and don't want any cucurbits in those areas. I constructed a trellis of electrical conduit, rebar and netting according to the SFG plans and am anxious to see how they work. The wooden/plastic net trellises from spring are going on the back fence for perrenial vines.

Happy surprise- nasturtiums. The seeds were in a four pack that I bought for the moonflower and morning glories, so I planted them on a whim. They were delightful, with their clear green round leaves and their hot, bright blooms. They did get a little out of hand- they are vines, after all, but I did love them and will grow them again next year. The best thing about them was their scent. It is very much like a moonflower's - light and clean. But, unlike a moonflower, you can cut them and keep them in the house.

T/P: cantaloupe

Journal May 18

Still WWW- though some things are beginning to produce. Beans, squash and nasturtiums, for example.
Took down the teepees- on second reading, I see that I planted all bush beans.

V. helped me move and turn the compost heap. We had to wait for a wind-less day. There's not much noticeable progress going on- too much brown, not enough green. I can remedy that with the addition of all the neighborhood's grass clippings. I'll probably set up another bin, halve the leaf/dried grass contents and mix well with fresh grass bags.

One problem is that I can't claim to be organic, since I don't know what people are putting on the lawns whose clippings I collect for mulch and compost. And I can't see myself knocking on doors at six in the morning: "Excuse me, but could you provide me with a list of the chemicals you or your yard guys use on your lawn? Oh, and if you could put the clippings in something other than those clear plastic bags, that would be swell. Thanks!"
But I'm not selling anything, so I guess it really doesn't matter.
I've mulched the paths to the point that it's like walking on sponge. But I plan to incorporate all the trodden on material in the beds later.

We've discovered where the bunnies are coming from. Not from down at the corner, where a family lives under the storage shed by the driveway, but from next door, where a family lives under the storage shed in the back yard.

I put up a toad house made of an old cachepot and a discarded pasta bowl, but no sign of an occupant yet. Both V. and Ro have seen one on the porch, so we'll keep waiting.

Everytime I look over my little homestead, it is a spirit-lifter.

Journal March 9

Overcast, windy. Hi: mid-'70's
Went out scavenging this morning and picked up some discarded plastic edging, bags of grass and a large plastic tub with rope handles. I'm thinking of using that as a planter for a pumpkin.
Moved Bed III into place and rather than digging it completely out, forked up the sod a bit and covered it with 3 copies of the Sunday Dallas Morning News. Then filled the bed with dirt and leveled it. It's been blessed and planted with 4 squares of corn. Okra takes up the rest of the bed. I can dig it up properly in the fall.
Also planted: nasturtiums (they came in a group pack with the morning glory and moonflowers), green beans and zucchini.
V. put a hook and eye on the gate, so we can lock it open.
New wheelbarrow is taking some getting used to- the load has to be balanced differently than in the old one.
First load of dirt is almost gone- must order more.
Found a volunteer vine growing behind the bird bath- I think it's a clematis. It will be fun to see what it turns out to be.
Absolutely MUST get a rain gauge, for watering. Also a pack of early corn seed, a pack of pickling cucumber, and a summer squash plant.
How can it be 6: oo in the evening? Darn that DST.