Mother's Day Is Passed, Time For Gardening

I've learned over the years of being in a high dessert environment, that it's only safe to plant your garden after Mother's Day. It has nothing to do with that day other than the fact that the chance of a freezing frost is really remote. This winter had really lingered around for a long spell.

Well now that winter's gone, getting our garden in is paramont, along with finishing the pruning of the fruit trees, plowing the garden ground, getting the sprinkler in shape for the warmer weather, and of course such other things as mowing the lawn, killing the weeds, and filling in the bare spots of lawn space.

With the help of Jo and Ipo, there was alot to do, and still much to do remains. Seems like we've been devoting much of our spare time to the garden and lawn. And with that, so has the neighborhood around us.

The weather in the spring time is kind of fickle. It gets warm, everything starts growing and blooming, then it gets wet and cold, even with snow, and then it drys out. Well, during the wet part, that was our chance to do open burning (EPA allowed)of cut greenery, such as tree pruning stuff, etc. Burning in wet conditions doesn't go real well, and then there's Sunday, the only opportunity available to catch-up in the season. Well, unless you want your temple recommend revoked, a sudden visit from your church file leader, and the social outcasting of your ward, i.e., neighborhood, you end up forced not to burn on the Sunday, you pile the stuff for later hauling to the green waste processing plant, and you remain in the good graces of the elect of the neighborhood. How funny life is when you keep to the rules of the land. The only rewarding part of this experience was that I got my garden ground tilled early which gave me a chance to see the surviving weeds, such as morning glory, make an early start on the garden. Ah Huh! I've got "RoundUp" and it can kill just about any weed. Well, enough about the frustration with the garden.

The success or feel good part was that my strawberry patch is doing well. Ipo will enjoy this year's crop unless I get to it first. I also recharged my square foot garden and started planting and transplanting. It's looking well this year.

In the main garden plot, I laid out the drip lines, reworked the sprinkler connection from our secondary irrigation water feed. I had to replace two sections of pvc pipe because the cracked from the winter freeze. Must have had water still in the line. Anyway, everything is hooked up and set to the timer. I've planted about half of the available space and will find other things to plant to fill out the rest. Let's see, potatoes, zucchini squash, yellow squash, red onions, tomatoes, corn, and watermellon so far.

In the square foot garden, I've got Walla Walla onions, bell peppers, herbs such as sage, basil, chives and other weed looking stuff. Anyway, I hope to put if a few more items for this year's garden.

Well, now that most of the garden is in and planted, all i've got to do is keep the weeds out. That should be a fun thing to do.

Stay tuned to "As the Garden Grows" for more exciting news from the world of the not so green thumb.