Dear Carol, Mary Ann and all of other gardening friends,
This week’s letter will be more of a postcard from the path than a letter. Bear turns eleven on Thursday (wait a moment while I cry), and, among other duties, I must bake a red velvet cake, her favorite, to celebrate. Speaking of Bear, she helped cut all of the landscape fabric away from the brick for me in the new potager beds. I really appreciated her assistance. We were working on a time crunch, because of the predicted snow, so she also helped me with the labels. As you can see, she drew pretty ladybugs and an earthworm on this one. I think just writing the names bores her, don’t you? Another had polka dots, and a third sported a dragon.
Today, with a temperature of 62F and climbing toward the projected high of 76F, Saturday’s snow is mostly a melted memory. Thank goodness. On Friday, I planted Rondo carrots, Black Seeded Simpson lettuce, mache, a/k/a corn salad, and pak choy in the new garden which is finished except for irrigation and the fountain. Won’t it look good when plants have filled the beds? This garden is the culmination of over twenty years of gardening and wonderful gift from HH. He will get an extra hug from me tonight. You can bet on it.
I’m going to also plant some large grasses to soften the sides and also to discourage deer. They don’t like grasses waving in the Oklahoma wind.
In the lower garden, the turnips and radishes are already sprouting, so I need to get my tweezers to thin them. Carol, you were the one who taught me about this alternative use for tweezers. Thanks.
Last Friday, I also planted my potatoes and onions. I was a bit late, but that seems to be my fate lately. Like every other spring, I’m swamped with garden chores. Still, that gorgeous sunshine on my back is pure joy.
That’s all I have for this week, but I’ll leave you with a pretty picture. These are the Campernelles I planted last fall. Aren’t they sweetest? I photographed them against the border of the garden so you can see how small they are. They should multiply and take over this corner of the bed. I hope.
Have a wonderful week everyone.
Now that is a potager what am a potager. It will be great to have things up where you don’t have to get on your knees to pick and weed. Brilliant.
Wow, your potager looks great! And why didn’t I think of tweezers to thin out my carrots last year! That makes so much sense. What pretty Campernelles!
Kelly
.-= Kelly Bundy´s last blog ..Pink Hyacinths =-.
Thanks Kelly. You can also cut your carrots off below the soil early on, and they root won’t form.~~Dee
Dee, Love the beds! So pretty! We’re planning new beds in our veggie garden this year too, but I think they will be rudimentary cinder block. 🙂
It is so nice to see veggies sprouting. I always think radish sprouts are the sweetest thing, with their little heart shaped leaves.
.-= Aisling´s last blog ..A Quick Note =-.
Thank you Aisling. They will be prettier with the fountain and plants, but all in good time. I love the little heart-shaped leaves too. Hope your weather is fine.~~Dee
The potager is going to look so great when it’s filled with veggies! Those beds are going to be so easy to work in and I like the plan of grasses around the edges. I’m looking forward to watching it grow and change!
Me too Cindy. I actually can’t wait.~~Dee
Great beds! I love the “deere” in your garden, too!
DGG, I thought you’d get a kick out of that.~~Dee
What are those things called that doctors use? the long tweezer dealy-bobs? Flyboy uses them fly fishing. Maybe a little handier than tweezers. Ah! Hemastats. That’s right.
MA, that might work even better.~~Dee
Love your new potager Dee. The beds are a great height and very professional looking.
I’m not familiar with Campernelles ~ they look a bit like daffodils?? They are bulbs, right? I’ll have to look them up. Very cheery looking.
.-= Kathleen´s last blog ..admiring the crocus =-.
Kathleen, yes they are a type of narcissus, i.e., a daffodil. Thanks for the kinds words.~~Dee
The girl likes Bear’s stakes. (I do too.) The new potager looks great already. I can only imagine how beautiful it will be once the plants fill in. I hadn’t heard about using tall grasses as a deer deterrent. I need to figure out a way to put that to use for me.
.-= Mr. McGregor’s Daughter´s last blog ..Rites of Spring, Chicago Style =-.
Thanks MMD. About the grasses, a daylily hybridizer came and spoke at one of our clubs. She couldn’t do fencing around her beds, so she planted grasses around the entire garden. It was beautiful, and she said the deer didn’t both her plants because they don’t like the swishing of the grass.~~Dee
Love how the new garden is turning out. And Bear did a great job on the labels. I could use her help, too, as I’m just getting ready to plant lettuce this evening and have several labels to write up. My handwriting is awful.
.-= Carol, May Dreams Gardens´s last blog ..Planning for a Shed-less Garden Shed =-.
Carol, sounds like you are right on track for your normal gardening year. I would send Bear, but I can’t afford to let her go. ~~Dee
Very nice Dee. It’s gorgeous! H.
Thanks Helen.~~Dee
With any good luck, that was the last snow! Looking forward to your blooms to come!
.-= Melanie´s last blog ..Gardener Mishap =-.
They are very classy Dee. Love the stone used and it will be easy to navigate weeds out of there. Beautiful job.
.-= Anna Flowergardengirl™´s last blog ..Ok, Espoma where is my box of goodies? =-.