Since spring has come in full bloom, I have had an unprecedented desire to garden and work in the yard. I can only attribute this to some sort of instinct that kicks in once you are married. I have lived in this house for almost 4 years, and have not done any gardening or cultivating. During my bachelor days I would only mow the grass every 3 or 4 weeks and do anything I could to stay out of the yard. Since I have gotten married I have bought several pots of flowers and installed two hanging flower baskets on my front porch. I even bought a small windowsill greenhouse and planted Verbena flowers from seed. They have germinated and are doing well.
My recent addition the garden has come in the form of a small flowe bed that I dug up this past Monday. I had to dig the bed up by hand because I lack a tiller or cultivator. Needless to say, this was a hard job, just ask my left hand, which developed a nasty blister after 2 or 3 hours of digging. I dug up the weeds with a shovel and threw them on the concrete. I then used a hoe to till up the ground a little deeper and remove any left over weeds or roots. I finished off the bed by applying 200 lbs. of compost manure into the soil. I know this sounds like a lot, but it was just enough to give a 1 or 2 inch thick covering over the whole bed. After applying the manure, I worked it into the soil with a garden rake and leveled off the bed. Next, I planted 6 or 7 Dahlia tubers and 8 – 10 Gladiolus bulbs. I am also going to plant some Zinnia seeds after the rains tomorrow and Friday. Hopefully the bed will work out. I am also planning on lining it with landscape timbers or some other sort of border.
Check back soon for a post on the construction of my new compost bin!