Yummy rhubarb!

It was an absolutely beautiful day here weather-wise and I had big plans. Unfortunately, I ended up not being as productive as I had hoped but there is always tomorrow. And tomorrow will be without a little boy slowing things down as he’ll be in school. I had planned to plant some more seeds as well as cut some sod to create a potato bed, get the bed framed and filled with Mel’s Mix, and the potatoes planted.

The frame is just some 2x6 (or is it 8?) that had been kicking around. I had planned to do it three-sided as it’s going to butt up against my shed, however I now think that I’ll make it a four-sided frame because of the grass and weeds that extend under the shed. And I’ll make it deeper. I’ll sink a same-sized frame of 2x10’s into the ground and sit the frame I made today on top so that it too is sunk down an inch or two with the rest above the ground so the bed is only partially raised. Or, I’ll sink this frame into the ground and set the frame of 2x10’s on top instead so that I don’t have to dig down 12 inches into the dirt. However I do it, this bed, approximately 5 feet by 2.5 feet, will house the potatoes. Tomorrow after I drop B at school I’ll pick up a bit of weed mat.

Someone has been playing in my dirt!

I planted more beets in the raised vegetable beds today. I had planted seedlings out a couple of weeks ago but they didn’t look happy so I pulled them out. I also planted more kale and romaine as only one seedling of each had survived (out of two for each) and put in my onions,  bok choy, carrots, rosemary, and marigolds. I have one pea out of eight that has sprouted but I didn’t plant them that long ago and I think I planted them a little deep so I’m not worried yet. Tomorrow I’ll plant another eight peas and a nasturtium. My radish has been up for a week or so now and my chives are thriving after poking through the dirt weeks ago when it was still blustery cold out. All three of the kohl rabi are up and in another week or so I’ll plant another three (and then another three a few weeks after that). I’m a little worried about my tomato starts as well as my pumpkin, zucchini, and squash seedlings. They alternate between looking very happy and healthy and looking like they’re on their last legs. I started them in peat pots and even though they’re not overly big, I think they want to be planted and have room to spread their roots. I think it’s too soon though. Maybe next week. Next week I’ll be planting my beans and corn too. And I have to figure out what to do with the two square feet in the third bed that were going to be filled by potatoes. Maybe I’ll plant more beets since I want to pickle some this year. That will give me 32 more beets, provided they all grow.

It feels good to be outside in the beautiful sun and fresh air even if I am very much opposed to the dirty and sweaty feeling that I have to endure all day as a result.