Another garden update

[lindaj]

We got another few feet of raised bed done last weekend, and we remain on track for what we want to have finished by the end of May. We got a bit of a jump on it by deciding to curve the bed back to the wall, put in a chimenea fireplace (one of those ceramic potbelly ones on a wrought iron stand), and then start up the wall again on the other side.

It seems that a 1:1 ratio of existing soil and organic matter is the way to go for the height of beds we're building. For the first bed, I started with 1:2 soil to organic matter, and had to end with 2:1 or even 3:1 so I could fit everything back into the beds. This means the top layer has more clay in it than I'd like, and the poor little seedlings are struggling. They'll get by, though, and reach their roots down to the loose, fertile depths. The soil in the bed will also correct itself over time, I'm sure.

The leeks have started sprouting, in quantity.

Peas are still slow, as are the spinach, turnips, and radishes, but they are sprouting.

The Egyptian Walking Onions seem to love their new home, and seem to be getting bigger and taller daily. The garden sage, planted temporarily near the onions until the new herb bed is done, is putting out new growth.

Very very soon we need to plant more peas & spinach, maybe some potatoes, and maybe even a few tomatoes under walls-o-water.

Things are shaping up.

Comments

[sea-dark-wine.livejournal.com]

That sounds like excellent progress!
The 5 or 6 pea plants I saw last weekend now only look like one again. I suspect the woodchuck has started his or her yearly rounds ahead of schedule. :-0

[lindalee.livejournal.com]

Well, I hope that a sufficent number of yours survive.

We have a huge juniper tree that drops berries onto the bed, and birds are regularly milling around there and picking at things...I paniced briefly, until I realized they were there for the berries, not my seedlings or seeds.

I have no idea yet what sorts of animals we may need to deal with here. A few blocks away, near the grocery store, there are more prairie dogs (or gophers, or something like that) than I've ever seen before in my life, digging holes and tunnels, and making one wonder if the sidewalk is even structurally sound any more, given that there's no longer any dirt under it. I hope they don't travel very far, and my garden will be safe from them.

tman_mcl says he's never seen rabbits in the yard, which is probably good in this case. I think we're too close to the city for deer.

It's not that I don't like having furry critters in the yard, because I definitely do, but after all the work I'm putting in to get this garden established, I think I'd be heartbroken if it all got eaten by someone who wasn't invited.

[sea-dark-wine.livejournal.com]

Wow, prairie dogs! I think they may be somewhat territorial, so maybe you won't get any, at least not for a very long time. A couple years ago, when we took a side trip to NM from a visit to Oklahoma, we saw a family of them living in a median strip in a strip-mall type area (possibly just outside of Albuquerque). I guess they can get used to living in almost any sort of environment, as long as they can burrow.

Recently another friend suggested putting out food for the predators so they're less tempted to eat your garden. Example: peanut butter sandwiches for woodchucks. I don't know -- haven't tried it yet.

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

I still love the idea of Egyptian walking onions. I'm so literal-minded.

[lindalee.livejournal.com]

I know...isn't it grand? :-)