Garden Report - Week ending April 16

This has been one of Those Weeks, but my mother's plaintive question, "Are we going to get a garden blog again soon?" caused me to throw back my shoulders and get around to some updates. Henry is doing all manner of things out in the yard I just do not understand, so we took a little walkabout out there, and I even had my little Moleskine in hand so I wouldn't mess any of this up. 


Taking notes is not a sign of weakness. It's a sign of, a sign of...  um, well. Never mind.


Anyway. Here we go.

These are tomatoes that
were started from seed.

Once they are big enough they go into these containers
to "harden," whatever the heck that means.
It sounded very official when Henry said it.

Herb bed, aka "Bed #1"

In the herb bed there's this volunteer cantaloupe.
That means that it's a cantaloupe 
left over from last year's garden.
It just showed up without being asked.
Like a volunteer.
So. There's this week's philosophy lesson.

Bed #2 features asparagus (at the top) 
and cowpeas/purple hull peas.

I am excited about one of these crops.

Bed #3 has eggplant (the prominent plant) and 
cucumbers and black beans.

I am excited about 2 of these crops.

And that little marigold in the corner? 


It's just there for the happy.

Bed #4 has (from left to right) yellow squash, 
and two varieties of lettuce.

I am very excited about this whole bed.

How excited, you ask?

I'm so excited I went all artistic with the lettuces!!

Bed #5 has Red Sails lettuce, Iceberg lettuce,
Mama's Tomatoes (aka "Better Boy"), 
3 rows of carrots,
and a row of ............

RADISHES!!

Bed #6 is full of Emerald Velvet Okra
and Big Louie

Beds 7, 8, and 9 are still just full of equal parts dirt and potential,  but will be home to those tomatoes that are in the hardening phase (again -- not a clue, people), spinach, even more lettuces, watermelon, and pole beans.

There are two things that are completely new additions to Henry's garden this year that I just have been dying to share.

First, this.

Two views of a wild bee box.

Henry made it his own fine self.

We do what we can to promote pollination.

No, there will not be honey.

Drat.

And this. 

We understand his name is Zach.

He just sorta showed up. 

We're keepin' him.

Garden 2011

It's time to start documenting Henry's 2011 Garden!

He pulled out his tiller earlier this week, and began the process of turning up the plot where last year's garden grew. He's expanded it a bit this year -- the garden "proper" is about 18' x 22' and there is a new addition this year of a little space for an herb garden as well.  

Work in progress

The herb garden is the marked off area.

Henry is very serious about his dirt. 

The dirt at the top, with no compost worked in.
The dirt at the bottom, with fully incorporated compost.
Pretty, huh?

He was so proud to show me the big payoff for keeping that blasted old coffee can on the kitchen counter, where we discard vegetable and fruit matter (and coffee grounds, and egg shells, and tea bags). It all goes out to his compost pile, and "cooks" there until he has need for it. If you do this right -- and he does -- there are no flies and no odor. Neatest part is that it really means that there is virtually no guilt if I forget I had something in the veggie bin, because it will not go to waste.

Henry goes through the whole plot on his hands and knees to pull out stones and rocks .
This is what you call a labor of love. 

Planting has not commenced yet. Today has brought a whole lot of rain, and he says he'll probably need to let the garden plot dry out at least a bit before he puts anything in there.

I got a peek at the seed packets, and here's what's planned: carrots, several varieties of tomatoes, squash, watermelon, okra (from pods from last year's garden!), various and sundry kinds of beans, and cucumbers. The herb garden will feature parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, basil, and, if I can find some -- a few varieties of mint. We'll also have lots of marigolds and sunflowers.

He is also working on adding some boards to attract wild bees to the garden. We had some nice bee activity last year, but more would be a good thing. We'll see how that pans out. 

Click on pictures to enlarge~