You say work, I say fun...

Gardening is a lot of work, but I find it very relaxing. Like all worthwhile things in life, if you are patient good things will come.

This weekend was very productive at the garden. My first task was to mow, edge, and trim around the beds. There was trash to pick up and general clean up of the whole place. Next I added two long beds and two smaller beds using recycled fence pickets. I then dug inside those beds to a depth of 4 to 6 inches and overturned the entire length of the bed, sod and all. I amended this soil with about an inch of cow manure donated by a friends herd. Also added was 2 to 3 pounds of cotton seed meal, an excellent slow release organic fertilizer. All this has been tilled to incorporate all ingredients and then allowed to rest for 1 to 2 weeks. This will allow enough time to kill the grass and clover. Exposing their roots to the sun and wind will dry them out and will add organic matter to the soil. More recycling! After this time period I will fill the beds in with soil mix and plant more flowers.

At the beginning of this endeavour I wanted to plant only flowers, excluding vegetables for now. I felt that flowers would be easier to grow and would provide a more colorful show. Having a bigger impact on the beautification of Texas Avenue and the community. But I think someone is trying to tell me something. In one bed that was filled in a couple of weeks ago, there are numerous volunteer tomato plants. I don't know what variety they are but they are thriving. So I will add vegetables throughout the garden. This is after all the beginning of a community garden and the possibilities for education are endless. This new direction inspires me to do even more. It's exciting, it's fun! So get ready to see tomatoes among the sunflowers.