The Garden Is In

After a very full day, the cold weather vegetables are in.  I spent the morning tilling the soil again.  The manure isn't ready to use as compost, so we proceeded without it.  Hopefully the ground will still be fertile.  We might add some horse manure from the neighbor before we plant warm weather stuff like corn and beans.  Last year we used horse manure and the garden was prolific.

After the soil was mixed and soft, my husband cut the furrows.  These little ditches every thirty inches line up the gates on the irrigation pipe with the furrows in the pasture.  It is hard work with the added challenge of going straight while cutting over long expanses.  One of our daughters stood at the end in the correct spot to give him something to aim for.  When it was all said and done, they looked great.

Then planting began.  We planted turnips, lettuce, peas, radishes, carrots, and beets from seed.  We transplanted the cabbages and lettuce that I've been growing in the basement.  We have some more lettuce and broccoli seedings that will be hardened off in a few days and ready for transplant.

We also transplated a bunch of strawberries.  Last year I put in about 200 bare root strawberry plants but almost all died.  I think about six made it.  Then we bought a few lives plants and put those in.  The place we put them in the front garden was too soggy for them.  Today we dug them all up and moved them into a row in the back, where we think they'll be happier.  Those few plants put out a bunch of runners.  By the time we were done transplating, we had about 75 strawberry plants in neat rows.  God willing, they will all survive and produce like mad!

It was a long day.  The weather couldn't have been more perfect at about 70ºF; we were in shorts and tanks.  Tonight it's forecast to rain and now we look forward to all those seeds getting watered in.  With moist weather, they will germinate quickly.

Tonight we go to bed tired and aching, but with the contentment of knowing the growing season has begun and good food is in our future.