Garden Week 1
by Rebecca on 2010-04-27
Our house came with a beautifully maintained garden box, and I tried in vain, midst record-breaking heat, a multi-year drought, and late pregnancy girth, to keep it going last summer. The only things that grew without much intervention from me were basil and Anaheim peppers. Everything else pretty much put up the feeblest of efforts to stay alive and in the shade of the basil plant. However, this spring, much to our surprise, a giant dill plant emerged, along with an asparagus that must have been hiding underground all last year. Too bad Iʼm not a fan of asparagus.
Iʼve spent a lot of time reading books and websites (thank you, Texas A&M!) about gardening and how we could proceed. It really seemed overwhelming because there were a lot of weeds and grass growing in the garden. My mom helpfully pointed out that the soil was probably still very rich and that I didnʼt need to worry too much about trying to get new dirt or special fertilizers. With that encouragement, I decided that I just needed to clear out the stuff that wasnʼt supposed to be there and get something into the ground before it was too late and then I could supplement with other plants as needed.
Itʼs a good thing that Emily takes such a good morning nap every day because itʼs given me time to work outside before it gets too hot. (Honestly, you didnʼt think I could write a blog without mentioning Emily somehow, did you?)
Itʼs not in perfect condition yet — I still have a lot of grass to clear out and probably could tidy up the rocks in the middle. But itʼs a start. Here are a few pictures of what weʼve got so far. Iʼm still hopeful that I can get a few more plants in this week, like sweet peppers and maybe some onions. Wish me luck.
