With us coming out of Winter heading into Spring, it was time to start getting the gardens in shape for warm-weather planting!

Weeds and Mulching

Lots of weeds this year — I don’t know if it’s because of the mild Winter or not, but there are a bunch of them. This was Garden 2:

Garden After Winter

However, it’s not all bad! Here is one of several volunteer turnips coming from seeds I planted probably a couple of years ago! I think I’m just going to start throwing down turnip seeds all over the mulch garden beds from now on!

Volunteer Turnip

Sue & I started chopping down the weeds using yo-yos (I looked it up, and apparently that is indeed what they’re called) in preparation for laying down a new layer of mulch across the whole garden area:

Chopping Down Weeds

And here is about half of the garden chopped down:

Weeds Chopped

And then the first mulch load laid down and spread out. Looks like probably four loads to cover all of Garden 2:

First New Mulch Section

Compost

With the trouble last year getting plants started from seed directly in the mulch beds, I really figured I need to get a composting system running well.

In a previous blog post almost three years ago, I mentioned the compost container we have been trying to use. It’s been sitting there full of all of the stuff I gathered I think from the chicken tractor and maybe goat fields for probably a couple of years. Well, I planned to take what was in it and move it to inside Garden 1 so I could start turning it more, as I picked up from a local friend that he turns his piles apparently after each rain; and when I opened the lid, there was barely anything in there! I was quite puzzled — where did it all go?

Cylinder Container Compost Pile

But, in looking close at the bottom, lo and behold, there was nice deep, rich looking soil! Wow! And very nice!

New Composted Soil

Here’s a wheelbarrow full of it, clumped because it’s wet:

Wheelbarrow of New Composted Soil

Excellent! I also have a pretty big pile of chicken droppings/hay and wood ashes going in Garden 1 that I hope now by turning it over it will compost better.

Thanks to the Lord for granting the new soil, and we pray for continued guidance always. And may He help us in continuing to prepare the gardens, and we pray He might grant food from them this year!

— David