August 10, 2005

LAST WEEKEND, FINALLY

Saturday was da bomb in terms of staying active. After doing my shopping on foot, I headed out in the car to pick up some new plants. By 9:30 I was home, fed and watered and in the yard. I hit that garden with all my might. The photo below is what one area looked like when I started. To the untrained eye it might look completely a wreck. But it's just a little a wreck. It's that time in the life of a garden where some stuff is finished growing. So lots needs to be pulled out or cut back or severely pruned. Plenty of weeding always needs to be done. So at the point when this shot was taken I was busy pulling out all unwanted material. There were heaps of it! Neighbor G did a major pruning job on the ivy and blackberry tangle that runs along our front fence. He carted most of it into the alley and I picked up the rest. Took some slashes to the arms for my trouble.

Gardening is a work-out. At least how I do it. I haul, lift, bend, pull, drag, dig, crawl, lean, twist, heft, stretch, sqat, squeeze, push, press, and more. Everything got a good soaking. It's terribly dry here. The soil in some unplanted places is like powder. I soaked even the unused spots in order to prep it for replanting. Everything also got a good dose of fish fertilizer that i mix up one watering can full at a time and apply the old fashioned way - pouring it on each individual plant or section. Smells
nasty. Flies and bees come out within minutes. But within a couple hours you can't smell anything. Repotted some plants so there is color and new life all around when Iva comes. Picked more beans, a few beets, shallots, and a nice head of broccoli.

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