Chopping Broccol-ay....

Today I worked on the #2 item on My Waiting List, the garden.



Kind of.




Or should I say, my handyman worked on the garden while I supervised?




Here is a before shot of the terrace I've dedicated to this year's crop:

As one can see, I laid down old carpeting as a way of recycling and avoiding weeds. It worked like a charm but only in the 2 by 6 areas of carpeting. The rest was a bear of a job and I'm glad I didn't have to do it.

My handyman broke up the earth and took out as many grass and weed roots as he could, while not breaking my bank:

Third step was to collect compost from the 4 year old compost heap and work it into the clay. This compost heap has been collecting layer upon layer of organic trash for 4 years, and it never gets higher than a foot. It must be the densest material on earth. Seriously, it's probably denser than a black hole. Here is that luscious black gold spread all over the clay:



After that, he made rows for me:



...while I planted seeds of carrots, cantaloupe, spinach, tomatoes, and zucchini:

These seeds will be transplanted after the danger of the last frost is over.

I then planted summer squash and broccoli into the rows outside. This year I am taking it easy on the numbers of plants I'm planting. I learned a big lesson my first year in this house. I was so excited to even have a garden, that I planted about 100 tomato plants from seed. I figured half of them wouldn't make it o the transplanting stage and half wouldn't make it to the ground. Well, 99% of them made it to huge plants!

I had so many tomatoes! I had tomato sandwiches, tomato soup, tomato sauce, tomato salsa, I gave my friends tomato plants, I made tomato gaspacho, I froze jars of tomato products, I made fresh tomato and mozzerella salads, tomato basil and onion bruschetta... you get the picture. So I've learned that a few plants of each veggie is enough for one person to manage, and still give me a few extra to trade with neighbors.
All of that labor cost $60.00. I'm much happier with that price than I was with the nursery painting job.

And, just to show my dad, here is a picture of the pansies he planted around my mailbox LAST YEAR, which have COME BACK and are acting like PERENNIALS!!! In fact, they have spread and are denser this year than last! So thanks again, Dad, for a gift that has lasted for 2 years!



It was great to spend some time outside. I even walked all three dogs for about 15 minutes and it wasn't unbearable. Now I'm off to take care of the #1 item on my Waiting List!