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!