that have been here since before we moved in.
I'm getting a pathetically late start on my garden. It was too cold for awhile, then it got warm but rained pretty constantly for about two weeks before finally stopping. By that time The Simple Man and I were not only awash in kitchen plans and taxes, but we also had a moment of temporary madness where we were interested in this particular rural property that ending up not working out, but subconsciously made me hold back on wreaking havoc in the front garden, just in case.
Well, the madness has passed and now I realize that I am woefully behind. We chopped and shoveled for a good part of Sunday. Seeing my beautiful butterfly bush dismembered, its limbs tossed about the patio, made my throat get all lumpy. I DID NOT CRY, but I've had that bush for 6 years and it was the biggest and most beautiful on the street. Every summer it was alive with fluttering butterflies and I guess I was less prepared to see it go than I had thought. I'm not such a fan of flowers, (with the exception of poppies, ha) preferring to grow food and, if I had more space, probably some ornamental grasses. I do like wildflowers. But this butterfly bush - well, it was like my little buddy. It shaded our window from passersby, it brought some lovely butterflies and hummingbirds around, and I didn't kill it like so many of the other plants I've touched with my black, but slowly turning green, thumb. It seems pretty hardy though, and I'm happy to know that a gardener who works with The Simple Man is going to take some cuttings and perhaps even the hacked up root ball for his own garden.
Poor little thing.
I have to just keep telling myself that it wasn't leaving enough room for the vegetables, particularly my Paul Robeson tomatoes, which are destined for that spot. And my expectation of these tomatoes is high, especially if they taste anything like how Paul Robeson sounded.
As you can see, I've already dug up a large portion of the garden. I was going to double dig, meaning digging down 24 inches, but I haven't measured it. I'm fairly sure it isn't 24 inches deep, but it is deep, and I intend to build brick beds with our extra bricks, at least 12 inches high. Right now I need to finish digging, throw a lot of good topsoil and compost on top, churn it up, and then build my brick beds. Wow, I'm making it sound so easy, but after digging the garden up on Sunday, I knew why my mom yelped with horror when I mentioned double digging.
What's happening with your garden plans? Are you right on schedule, or late like me? Or even not gardening this year at all after reading this?!
Be strong!
Posted by: Aminah | 04/15/2010 at 01:42 AM
Yeah. Sigh.
Posted by: TheSimplePoppy | 04/15/2010 at 07:46 AM