Growing Challenge: Raised Beds

In case you were wondering why I haven't been posting as frequently, the answer is two fold.

• Part the first: in attempting to synch up the twins' sleep schedule, I've been tandem nursing. And ya know what? Ya just can't type when you're tandem nursing! I may had mad one-handed typing skillz, but my toes aren't that talented.
• Part the Second: it's Market Season! I've been taking piles of plants and selling them off at the Farmer's Market. It also means that my days are filled with watering and feeding plants, potting up little bitty plants and starting new seeds, repeatedly.
  
  Itty bitty plants. Lots of itty bitty plants.
  
  Pricking out and potting up calendula and lavatera.
  
  
  Putting plants outside in the sun, pulling them back in, culling the weak, ditching the dead and on and on and on!

So if you have a local Farmer's Market, you should head on down there to see what they have, meet the farmers and get involved in the local food scene. One of the best parts of being at the market, for me, is meeting all of the different folks who come through looking for plants. There are a ton of people starting gardens for the first time this year as well as folks who've been doing it for years. They all stop to chat with us for awhile while shopping. As a matter of fact, one set of folks came looking for me specifically since I was apparently getting a reputation as being The Tomato Lady! Aiee!

I can't help it, though. If you ask me about care and culture of plants, I can talk for ages. Also, I want you to have a good planting experience and if I can offer you details on how and when to plant those tomatoes, I certainly will! Also, since I raised them from itty bitty seeds, I'd like to see them go to happy homes.

So go on down to your local market and strike up a conversation!

In my own garden, work has finally begun on my new raised beds!*

Say it with me now: "Ooooh!"

"Ahh!" Upside down and in the wrong location, it awaits relocation and filling. And yes, my yard is that sloped. I'm so jealous of you folks with your flat yards!

Visions of tomatoes and green beans are dancing in my head. Also, mulching around the outside of the beds, ordering gardening mix to fill them with and starting yet more plants from seed! Woo! Squash!

A few weeks back I had started a pot with cilantro, carrots, spinach and scallions. They've finally decided to come up!

Cilantro, carrots and one puny spinach. Phooey!

Took awhile, too. Now I just need to keep the birds from eating them and they should grow on nicely. Next up, starting yet more basil from seed!

I still have huge piles of weeds that need ripping out. I started some of that work while Eric (Who built the beds.) and my friend Dave worked on digging post holes for the raised beds, late last night. As the darkness rolled over us and the temperature was dropping, I was scooping handfuls of last year's trees into my flower border, trying to find plants, instead of weeds.

Look! Mulch!

Today, while the twins are napping, I will sneak outside to continue ripping out weeds and throwing down mulch.

The weeds seem to be winning this battle.

I'm not getting it done as thoroughly as I might like to, but with my time being as limited as it is fast is more important.

Speaking of which, I've gotta go!

Tally-ho!

* Photos will be added later!