We did absolutely no gardening in 2011. I ignored my clematis and rosebushes. I let the weeds suffocate my herb collection and everything else. I had been totally burned out on gardening by the sun, heat and humidity. By the pests from little insects to the deer who invaded my space. I was literally tired of fighting the elements and not getting any rewards for my efforts.
This turned out to be a good decision for me. The constant rain and high temps
would have thwarted all my gardening efforts. During this time I realized how much I missed my fresh herbs. I was spoiled, I had them to use anytime I wanted. My Hunny and I decided we'd rectify the problem, Twenty-Twelve would be a green year. We have not only been planning garden but we have been recycling lots of items.
The following blogs are about our gardening beginnings for 2012:
http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/2012/02/cabbage-and-broccoli-on-move.html
http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/2012/02/seeds-sprouted.html
http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/2012/02/growing-lettuce.html
The last two weeks we have been working to find the garden in the mass of weeds. Golden Rod, 8 feet tall loved our garden beds which had been fortified with compost. The picture on the left is the garden before we started weed pulling.
This is the lower south side of the garden with the weeds which grew in 2012.
I could only find one picture of this area of garden before weeds. It was taken in 2009 when these beds were first installed.
This is how it looked with out weeds. We have removed all of the tall weeds by pulling them up from the roots. Discovered the English Thyme, which is planted in the center bed in the picture on the right, is still alive! Now comes the arduous task of grubbing out the paths and the beds of the "bunch" grass (we don't know what kind of grass it is but it grows from heavy based deep rooted, bunches.) Then we need to re-chip all the paths.
The last two days have been absolutely glorious. It has been 65 degrees. Yesterday it was almost wind less. I chose to work on the "Chicken Coop".
It's a 100 year old chicken coop which I have changed into a potting/tool shed. It is approx 6'X 12'. I never measured it, will have to rectify that. I didn't have the camera handy to take pictures of before on the south and east sides but I can show you the results of my labors on the west side.
The picture on the left is the west side of the chicken coop. We recycle things and use them to fix our buildings. The shutters on the window are kitchen cupboard doors. The window is a dual pane window a friend was throwing out. The trellises are room dividers a restaurant was throwing out. The weeds, compliments of the gardeners!
After a few hours work, this is the result. The green on the left of the picture is "Purple Doro Day lily". They are about 1/2 inch out of the ground. Behind each trellis you can see the "Clematis" are trimmed. The one on the left may have died, but the one on the right had furled leaves that were just about an inch and half long. I have replaced the little boy and girl with a butterfly/frog pool. (An old rubber feed pan filled with layers of rocks for them to light on if they need a drink. The large rock on the top has gorgeous natural designs). I put it there because when I trimmed the right clematis there were two egg type cases like the ones I see on the butterfly bush.
The picture on the left is what I have to look forward to if I haven't lost the left clematis. The hostas are still doing great (I hit them with the hoe when I was clearing). They are budded up about an inch below the surface. The Ajuga on the right I hope will rebound. There is some remnant growth still there.
During the next few days I will be posting our progress with the weeding. Thank you for joining us on this journey. This week end is also a planting weekend for us. The moon is right to start our peppers, tomatoes and eggplants.
We lost the clematis on the left. The one on the right is doing nicely and has already set some buds..it's only March 30.
It's a 100 year old chicken coop which I have changed into a potting/tool shed. It is approx 6'X 12'. I never measured it, will have to rectify that. I didn't have the camera handy to take pictures of before on the south and east sides but I can show you the results of my labors on the west side.
The picture on the left is the west side of the chicken coop. We recycle things and use them to fix our buildings. The shutters on the window are kitchen cupboard doors. The window is a dual pane window a friend was throwing out. The trellises are room dividers a restaurant was throwing out. The weeds, compliments of the gardeners!
During the next few days I will be posting our progress with the weeding. Thank you for joining us on this journey. This week end is also a planting weekend for us. The moon is right to start our peppers, tomatoes and eggplants.
We lost the clematis on the left. The one on the right is doing nicely and has already set some buds..it's only March 30.
For more blogs by me visit at:
A blog mostly about quilting, but cooking, poetry, prose and a little gardening,
Not a garden blog. There are articles which have nothing to do with creating or gardening.
There are blogs on the new born baby kittens we found and are mothering. It is a blog where I will sometimes voice my opinions which will always be environmentally friendly.
As always, any pictures or writings are my own, if not credit will be given to the contributor. Please do not use without permission.
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