I finally went outside to deal with the garden today. It’s been such a dismal, wet spring, I felt like there was no point doing anything out there until it dried out a little. (The beans and peas I planted earlier all rotted in the ground… now there are weeds growing where the plants should be.) When I went out today I realized I had left it all far too long.
First problem: the cover crop. Either I am doing it wrong or it just shouldn’t be used on raised beds. Either way, I won’t be doing it again. I decided today it was easier to just tear it all out (it was waist high) than to try and trim it back and/or dig it under. I got most of it out of the two larger beds (those that I hadn’t yet prepared for the season) and threw some scrap wood over top so that the neighbours’ cats don’t get in there.
Second problem: the largest bed is severely compacted and the soil in there sucks. It needs some sand and new soil worked in before I can grow anything. Probably some manure would be a good thing, too.
Third problem. The side bed was completely overgrown to the point that most people wouldn’t even see it as a bed, just a patch of weeds. I took the weed-whacker to it and discovered that the potato I planted on St. Patrick’s Day has sprouted. Hooray for small miracles. Also, I managed to not weed-whack the potato in the process.
Beyond that, there is more weeding and more soil work to be done in the newest beds before I plant, plus re-weeding the back bed before take-two on the beans and peas.
AAAAAnd it’s Victoria Day already!! So late this year. Sigh. Anyway, I worked so hard today for about two and a half hours that my arms feel like jelly — they are shaking when I lift my coffee cup.
One bright thing: I harvested the rhubarb and added a few strawberries to make a sauce to have with dessert. Mmmm…
