I should mention that we've also read The Flower Farmer's Year by Georgie Newberry. In this book she mentions that flower farming CAN be done in 15 minute increments and while you have children at home - 15 minutes to weed a 3'x10' bed, 15 minutes to plant a few perennials, 15 minutes to bring in your first harvest. I'm taking this to heart and am already starting to see that it is true.
It sounds obvious (or too good to be true), that just tackling a little bit at a time WILL add up.... especially when trying to dig a new flower bed and I get three shovelfuls in and have to take off my boots and go inside because the kids didn't actually stay down for their nap... but.... look at what all we've done.
Mike got the first 3'x10' annual bed dug out ...
and I topped it with compost and fertilizer, planted seeds directly in the ground and covered with a row cover. We've been watering every evening and are hopeful we'll see something other than weed seeds pop up in the next week or so.
Also, I finally got the first tiny perennial bed dug and planted with transplants from my Aunt Barbara's garden. So excited to see these come back next year - peonies, russian sage, lilies, echinacea, artemesia, and iris! In digging the perennial bed, I uncovered a water problem... too much water.
So I dug a trench all the way to the fenceline to drain the water out. I then mounded the bed with at least 5 layers of compost and horse manure and hopefully have it raised and amended well-enough that those peonies won't have wet feet.... only time will tell.
We still have a lot of work to do: finish the trench, cart away the sod and dig two more 3'x10' annual beds and plant with clover, plant spring bulbs... slowly but surely we will get it all done.
It sounds obvious (or too good to be true), that just tackling a little bit at a time WILL add up.... especially when trying to dig a new flower bed and I get three shovelfuls in and have to take off my boots and go inside because the kids didn't actually stay down for their nap... but.... look at what all we've done.
Mike got the first 3'x10' annual bed dug out ...
and I topped it with compost and fertilizer, planted seeds directly in the ground and covered with a row cover. We've been watering every evening and are hopeful we'll see something other than weed seeds pop up in the next week or so.
Also, I finally got the first tiny perennial bed dug and planted with transplants from my Aunt Barbara's garden. So excited to see these come back next year - peonies, russian sage, lilies, echinacea, artemesia, and iris! In digging the perennial bed, I uncovered a water problem... too much water.
So I dug a trench all the way to the fenceline to drain the water out. I then mounded the bed with at least 5 layers of compost and horse manure and hopefully have it raised and amended well-enough that those peonies won't have wet feet.... only time will tell.
We still have a lot of work to do: finish the trench, cart away the sod and dig two more 3'x10' annual beds and plant with clover, plant spring bulbs... slowly but surely we will get it all done.
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