I've been diggin in the garden

It was a beautiful day today so after I finished planting a flat of marigolds and a tray of lettuce, "watched" on the computer as the Mets blew one to the Reds, went down the hill and got my "new" glasses (slight improvement over last year but there's some astigmatism) from the optometrist, And delayed long enough, I finally went outside to dig in the dirt. It was time to turn over the two large beds that will host most of our veggies this summer.

The one on the side bank made with flatties (stone) was filled with sifted soil last summer, covered with peat moss, grass clippings and some hay straw. Turning it over was a breeze as the soil was nice and loose. Every shovel of soil turned up two or three huge earth worms which was a pleasant sight. Unfortunately, the clayey soil beneath all the organics was soaking wet. If I had squeezed a handful, not only would it have held to ether easily but it would have given up water like a sponge.




The other bed is the 8' x 16' one that I built using landscape timbers. It still needs more sifted soil but the bank I'm "mining" is still too wet from the showers we've been getting. I have a good two or three more wheel barrows from the compost heap but I'd like to add five loads of the subsoil first. Anyway, this bed also got some grass clippings last fall as well as peat moss. Very little straw went in this one, however. There were not quite as many earthworms in this bed, either. Still, it turned easily and will make a fine garden bed.



The bags of top soil will be used in the beds when it is time to plant. I'll make troughs for some of the seed, fill them with top soil and then plant the seeds (beans, spinach, broccoli, lettuce) in the top soil. Other seeds (zucchini) will be sown in mounds of top soil.