Fee, Fie, Foe, Friday: First Day & I'm Late

Here it is, the very first day of summer, and I'm STILL running late with all the garden chores. Putting in all the raised beds, and moving all the extra soil and compost off the driveway and into a temporary straw bale raised bed have eaten up so much of my time. Vegetable planting was way late this year because of all that. I usually have everything mulched, the cold frame cleaned out,  and all the patio pots planted. Not this year. Usually by now, it's almost "Hammock Time." Instead, I feel like the Mad Hatter.

Summertime! The livin' is easy if you're a tomato plant.

At the rate I'm going, I'll still be doing spring chores by the 4th of July. Not that it matters, but the entire family comes over  for a barbecue at some point over that weekend and I hate having outdoor works-in-progress. Guess I'll have to get over it. And let some of it go. Summer is the time to relax, isn't it? If you are a gardener, the livin' is NOT easy; fun, but not easy.

Even though I may be behindhand, and whipping myself into a froth, Mother Nature is right on schedule. The tomato plants ate tomatoing, and the beans plants are beaning. Swiss chard is ready to pick, and we've already eaten all the radishes and arugula. Second plantings are already IN. Soon we'll be up to our eyeballs in tomatoes and basil. It's all good, isn't it?  Soon I'll be canning and freezing, and too soon, it'll be fall. Here I am already ahead of myself. Worrying.

A tomato plant, tomatoing.

I know, I know, I should let some of it go. And I will. What gets done, gets done, because pfffft! It's a metaphor for life. If you worry too much about the past and the future, you'll miss now. Because I don't want to be late for a date, a very important date...with the hammock this afternoon. Life goes too fast to get caught up in the To Do list. Enjoy. It's Summer.

The Invisible Beets, Cabbage, Chard, Beans and other Vegetables

Well, I haven't been cooking much (actually not at all) because I've spent the last week wheelbarrowing soil from my driveway across the yard and into my new raised beds. I have high hopes for them; my soil is rocky clay, full of roots and has been a real trial for the last 8 years. I'd like a couple more raised beds, but the budget (and my back) won't allow it right now, and I know I won't want to be hauling dirt when the summer heat sets in. will have to wait until fall or next spring. Sigh.

I finally filled the last one today, just took 11 wheelbarrows full of soil, and now it's waiting for the weather to improve so I can set out some tomatoes and peppers. I did get the other two planted, though, and hopefully the forecasted rain will get those seeds germinating. My favorite cooking is with stuff we grow ourselves. So, in the picture below, there are beets, chard, beans, cabbage, radishes and arugula. In seed form...in the beds,  gotcha!

The bushel baskets are waiting...

Cooked All Week and Nothing to Show for It but a Raised Bed

I warned you all this would be an odd week. Chuck had eye surgery that has forced him to face-plant himself for seven mortal days. Plus, complications from the general anesthesia that sent us to an emergency clinic and ANOTHER doctor. Lots of lost sleep and stress. Luckily, we got most of it under control by Friday, thanks to the huge help from Susan, and Merry and CC. Nonetheless I am pretty much pooped.

I've cooked every meal in, which is rare around here. Lots of blog-worthy dishes. I start taking pictures as I go, but by the time the food is ready to plate, there are eyedrops, pills or or a catheter to check, and swoosh I forget to shoot the final picture. All I wanted to do at that point was get it on a plate and get us all fed.

Funny thing, though. The weather has been glorious. I took some vacation time to deal with this planned operation, and the highlights have been the time spent walking Hobbes. It's peak Spring here, and cruising the neighborhood towed by a small dog on a leash has been a joy. While I can only go for a few minutes at a time, its a real gift since I am usually locked in a retail store at this time of year. Gave me garden-fever.

Since he patient is largely on the mend today, although still face-down, I assembled one of my two new raised bed gardens today. 18" deep.  Running in and out every 20 minutes or so to check on my patient, I managed to drill in 72 woods crews. Oy.  I'm planning a third, but they're a little pricy from kits (I'm not real skilled with tools) so I'll wait until later into Summer to order the third. Can't wait to get them filled and planted. I can taste the beans and tomatoes already!

My new 18" deep raised bed. Will fit a few more in soon.

A Garden Update: Raised Beds, Figs and Whine

There's a lot going on here at our house right now. Chuck will be having some outpatient surgery this week, and while I'm here with him for most of this week, I am planning a few changes to the blog. I think it'll look a lot better and will work much better for you.

There isn't much cooking going on right now, but there will be soon since I can't stay home for more than a day without some sort of big cooking project. I also remembered that I haven't give you any sort of garden report since the end of last season. The annual raking has begun, including my annual snake-raking, and this year I'm converting the garden to a raised bed system. I've had it with the rocky, clayish tree-root filled soil in this yard.  The materials to build the first two should arrive this week, and hopefully will get some dirt--a good mix of compost, spent mushroom soil and topsoil delivered as soon as I can build the beds. They're kits and should fit together easily. I have a feeling that should is the operative word here. We'll see. I'll let you all know. Yes, I AM whining.

I do have news in the fig tree department. In the Fall, my little fig tree, named Fignatious, lost all its leaves like a good little deciduous tree should, and just as soon as the days began to grow longer, it began to sprout. I now have 4 tiny little figs growing on Fignatious. Planning to eat them all myself.  I have to find a permanent outdoor home for Fig this season, and the perfect spot, a west -facing wall near the patio is occupied by an old rangy looking lilac bush. I'd love to get it out of there, but it's huge, deep-rooted and has probably been there for 70 years. A shame, but it doesn't flower well, and it would be a great shielded spot for fig, where it would be less likely to be eaten by deer. Will have to work on that, hmmm?

Fignatious, my little fig tree has baby figs!

When I finally get the beds in, and planted and then find a home for Fig, I have the weedy lawn to deal with since I refuse to let Chuck use herbicide in the garden. Bad for everything.