May 24, 2009

Wow, it's been forever since I've posted.  Sorry about that folks.  I have a really good reason why I haven't posted.  I've been on the go 24/7 since my last post, with scarely a minute to myself.  Seriously, between helping my folks and my inlaws, it's been a crazy couple of days.  About the only thing I got to do for fun this weekend was go to my best friends 37th birthday party (I'm a few months older than he is).  It was a barbeque over at their house and I finally got to see the SWCs we made at the SWC party in action.  They've got them all lined up under their deck on a concrete patio area.  They get really good sun and there are 10 tomato plants growing in them.  Interspersed between them are the scraps with cukes and other stuff growing in them.  They creatively used the lids as saucers for the scraps to fit on/in.  Apparently they recommend having a few holes drilled in the lids so they drain.  Otherwise there is a 1 inch pond the scrap is sitting in.  Sorry to say I didn't take pictures, I was too exhausted.

I ended up leaving early while the folks were playing Rock Band.  I couldn't get my fingers to work on medium, got frustrated and decided I had had enough. You see, I got up at 6 and need to do pretty much the same tomorrow, with heavy manual labor both days.  Yep, three days of manual labor on perhaps the best weather weekend of the year (including the rest of the year I'm betting).  /sigh.  Life is far from fair.

I'd like to tell you that gardening has still been happening, but it hasn't.  All I got done was to water a bit this morning knowing it would be in the 70s today and hadn't rained for days.  While I was out there I snapped a few pictures though.



Here's an early morning picture of the sprouting yukon golds.  I think I'll hill these a bit with compost to add a few inches of growing space.  Not sure it's needed, but I have the room.

While I was in that bed, I ripped out the grass that was somehow growing in the carrot squares.  I had tons of it as you saw from my last post.  No clue how it got there.  So much for the carrot seeds I planted there a few weeks ago.

I also had to share these monster broccoli plants.



No heads forming yet, but I'm hopeful I'll get an early crop.  I have other plants that are effective succession plantings to these so I should have a good harvest of broccoli all summer long.  I just hope the cauliflower does ok.

Here's the sad looking tomato plants that have miraculously turned themselves around.



And lastly, Saturday morning I got a chance to see my favorite garden growing up.  It is at the home of my Aunt Joyce and Uncle Al in West Seattle.  My Aunt Joyce passed on a month ago and we were helping my Uncle Al out before working on the house.  They have a terraced garden with three levels and have always grown the best harvests I've ever seen. 

 



This picture, taken from their deck doesn't do the garden justice, but you can see the top layer at the top of the picture planted with potatoes with a soaker hose wrapped around.  Sorry to say that their garden is in a state of over grown disarray, but it's been a few years since they've been able to tend it well.  I remember growing up their garden was alive with everything under the sun.  It is one of my fondest memories of them.

Well, it's really late and I've got to get up and do it all over again.  Wellcome to the new folks to sign up.  I hope you comment and share your insites.

Enjoy your garden!