Thursday, July 10, 2008

Manure, Mulch and More

I made the mistake of deciding I should finish weeding and mulching my garden yesterday. I’ve got a bunch of family obligations coming up and if I didn’t do it then, it wasn’t going to happen. Two hours in the blazing sun, heat and humidity – it was miserable. If you are a long time reader of my blog, you’ll know that manure and compost are quite the thing around here. A couple years ago, The Farmer gave me this for an anniversary present.

It has rotted to a lovely grainy texture and I have been digging it and spreading it for a few days now. It may not have a lot of nutrients left, but it’s got to add to the texture of the soil. I weeded around the plants using my favorite Korean hoe. If you garden and don’t have one of these, order it now. It is the most useful tool I own. I left the weeds in between the rows and then topped it all off with a thick layer of one of The Farmer's giant 800 pound hay bales. I can't believe I went through all that hay.


Here’s what it all looks like – I am so proud of actually completing the task. I know it looks like a pile of hay with a bit of green amongst it but to me - it is a beautiful thing. In a couple of weeks, the plants should rise above the brown mulch and we'll have something to eat and gather.

My gardening intentions are always there every year, but they frequently don’t materialize into a finished project. My perennial garden may look like awful this year, but this veggie and cutting garden will surely bear many fruits come the end of summer.

And then there is this problem.....

Julia and I are going away for the weekend. The Farmer is in charge. He's got tons of farming to do. Some of the sheep have been escaping a few times a day - like this evening. I'm hoping my garden survives the weekend. There's an old fence around it right now and I'm hoping it works so that all my work is not lost.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good fences make good neighbors! You could build a solid fence around your veggie garden to keep the sheep away.

Hilary said...

Those woolies have the best looks on their faces. "What?! Ruin your garden? Us?! Never!"

Good luck with the veggie patch!

Hilary

Lindy said...

Hi Kristin, You are not the first to extole the many wonders of the Korean Hoe - I must order one.

What a marvelous anniversary present - just the thing I would like myself. My husband did go to a nearby ranch and bring home a load of very old (well matured) manure which was ready to use immediatley. The stuff works wonders :-D

Your sheep are real beauties.

Lindy in the Sonoran Desert where we got a lovely all night rain complete with hoardes of mosquitoes.

Willow said...

I hope the sheep mind their manners. Do you ever get deer in the garden? My brother does, daily. So far, the deer have stayed away from mine (yes, we have deer in coastal SoCal!). They've been spotted eating roses in the neighborhood, but they haven't found my yard, roses and tomatoes yet.

countrychicken said...

I once got a similar sort of birthday present, a John Deere tractor made in the same year I was born,1949, towed home on my birthday with boxes of parts in the back of the truck. Those farmers manage to come up with some unique gift ideas!! I hope the sheep stayed away from the garden while you were gone. Prices of veggies and fruits are very high in my area, so I am guarding my garden from deer.

Anonymous said...

I bought two new tools this year. One was the Korean Hoe! It's like a hot knife threw butter! I love it. Have a sweet weekend with Julia.

http://peacefulacres.wordpress.com

KSee said...

I have that hoe, best invention. Now if I could only have some of your manure...

Barbara from Nova Scotia said...

Send your sheep to me! I'm used to sheep roaming free... (not that my hubby ever approved!)

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