willowdancer's Blog

Garden Log 1.4.2011
Jan 4, 2011 | 7:18 PM PST
Tags: rock borders , tomato cages , flower bed , BBQ shed , horse , porch swing , smooth sumac

Our room mate went back to work at the local factory today, so we all got up at 4am to have breakfast before he went to work. I finished all my school assignments first thing and then Randy and I spent some time our in the old horse pasture. We worked for a few hours ripping up and cutting down all the smooth sumac saplings that were growing right where the pumpkin and melon patches were going to be. The good thing about the sumac patching is now we know exactly where the field gets full sun because the stuff only grows well in full sun, so now I know exactly where to place the hills when it comes time to plant so my melons and pumpkins get full sun :)

All the saplings we cut down will be repurposed in one way or another; I am going to use the tallest ones to make teepees for my string beans and the rest of them I am going to try to make cages out of for my eggplants, cucumbers, and squashes. I dont know if the handmade cages will hold up to indeterminate tomatoes, but I think I only have enough for the other plants excluding the tomatoes anyways.

I miss things being green. But the cool weather and dormant plants is making for some really easy yard work.

George, our room mate, helped me hang the swing in the BBQ shed as a surprise for Randy; its hanging back up where it had been when his grandparents were alive and its still functional, although in need of some repairs.

Now for some before and after pictures of the BBQ shed:

Before:

and after:

Its still not that pretty yet, but it is so much nicer now that the walls and gate have been taken down, the scrap lumber laying all over the pace has been consolidated into one pile for future use, the fire wood for BBQing has been stacked, and the swing has been hung. After I took pictures of todays progress there was still a bit of daylight left so I raked up some of the leaves in front of the shed and moved a table and chairs set to over there so there will be more sitting room for when we have a BBQ party.

When I was taking pictures the horses in the neighbors pasture were by our fence line; I fed them some grass I pulled up from our side of the fence (even this time of year, with everything dead and brown, the grass is still greener on the other side, lol) and I snapped a quick picture of one of them grazing.

I didn't get as much dirt moved today as I had intended, but I also hadn't planned on Randy and I clearing out the pumpkin and melon patch area, so I think it is a fair trade off. I did get the sunflower bed topped off with some soil:

This is what that area looked like in its "before" picture

And this is what that area looks like now:

 

I want to say that I can't wait until I can start planting things, but there is so much work to do before then still that I think I can wait, lol.

Tomorrow I would like to get the teepees made and make some cages, as well as move dirt to the front flower beds like how I had planned for today. I am also going to start laying the floor plans for the vegetable garden, which should be interesting. I might get out the reel mower and trim the field where the pumpkins and melons will be, but I might just need to go through and trim it by hand since so much of it is just brambly bushes and clumps of tall, dead grass. But for now, I am going to bed!