More Seeds, Spinach Bed, Round the Apple, Borders, Drainage and A Friend with Donuts

38*, feels like 33*, 68% humidity, N 6 mph wind, cloudy

Yesterday's nice warm temps, shorts weather, did not show itself today, on my day off of course. Still, I really wanted to get some things done in the garden. I went first to get some free black dirt and some cow manure, then to pick up some pop to drink while I was out. At the farm, they had a rack of new seeds out. I had to try them of course.....at gun point.

I already have a packet of larkspur, but from a different company and they were more expensive and fewer seeds then this new (to me) brand. Besides, larkspur is part of my scheme to lure and destroy Japanese beetles so I figure I better plant a lot of them if they are going to be sacrificed.

The black dirt went to the veggie garden, to the clay side, that is the new extension of the veggie garden. I like this black dirt. It helps a lot when combined with compost. All it really is anyway is compost with a lot of sand added. Spinach isn't all that picky so that's why I'm going to be planting it there.

The cow manure went into the apple tree bed. Yesterday I mentioned the HUGE improvement in the soil there from 2 years ago. I think part of my success can be given to compost, hay, and leaves. This is the first time I'm adding manure to it. I am going to plant white geraniums along the edge (once its warm enough) and then marigolds and hot peppers in a checkerboard style in this bed, maybe some basil too. I want to put purple basil in there. Wouldn't that look neat?

After playing around for a bit, I told myself it really was time to get down to the real dirty work. Something I had hoped I would have a warm day for. Remember those rocks I wanted but didn't get? Well, I guess the man made border doesn't look so bad after all. It kind of gives the bed a finished look. See, the problem is this, this front area has terrible drainage issues. We get a LOT of rain here, and it either pools up at the walkway (bottom of the photo) for days, pools up in what I call "the Swamp" which is NEVER dry and then runs down to the street through the bed taking my dirt with it. I discovered HUGE freakin pieces of concrete under the bed where it pools at the walkway. And to my delight, I was able to pry it all up and get it out of there. I suspect that I will have a lot less problem there now. The river that runs through the middle of the bed will be stopped by the border, but that still leaves the issue of the swamp's drainage. I have a plan. I really do! More grass is going to be murdered for that project as I expand the apple bed during this year, raising the dirt up a bit, planing things that don't mind water (like cranberry), and the remaining grass paths in there....yup, they will be covered and mulched. Before long, Mr. Hyper won't have to mow through this section at all.

Just as I was finishing this all up, a friend in a car with her son pulled up. She'd been at the Orchard for pancakes and egg hunting and wanted to drop off some syringes for the dog and some Orchard donuts. If you haven't had any Orchard donuts, you are missing out one one of the world's great wonders. They have two kinds, apple spice and pumpkin spice.