Hey Friends! Sorry I haven’t been around much. It is busy season (just the very start of it) around here!
We finally had enough dry time with Matt off to start the 2025 garden. Typically, I prefer to start a week or so sooner, but circumstances weren’t ideal. Friday evening, Matt tilled part of the garden so that I could start planting the next morning. Maeve (who is doing VERY well, post-surgery) and I checked out the space as the sun was setting. The soil looked rich and ready to get planting!
Though I was eager to get started, breakfast came first then I had to run the boys to a 4H workshop. I had only about an hour an a half to work before I had to pick them up, so I got right on it when I got home. Matt and I pulled the barriers with the correct configuration of holes from storage and staked them down. I got in most of the brassicas before going to get the boys.
Once we returned, I got right back to it. I realized the space I needed for root like carrots, turnips, beets, radishes, and green onions needed a bit deeper till. Matt still had the tiller on, so he went over the space again. A six foot tiller saves me from a LOT of hard work, but there was still plenty of work to be done. I am lucky to have Matt to help me till and usually can get him or the boys to help my lay barrier. The rest is generally on me!
It was nearly dark once I had in this bit of crops we will plant this year! This is about a quarter of the space I will grow in this season. I will admit, the sun came out a bit more than I would have liked yesterday. The wind was pretty rough as well. These babies were looking bedraggled last night. After about 6 hours (between meal prep/cooking and 4H) of planting yesterday I was feeling much the same. Knowing it was supposed to rain I didn’t water anything in. Normally when I am transplanting I will wait until evening, avoiding the transplant shock, wilting, and sun scorch. I quickly water them in. Not yesterday! So I prayed all would be well this morning.
I put in the first 3rd-ish of green onions and potatoes (the trenches of which really did my back in), A 50 foot row each of carrots, beets, radish, and salad turnips, and two near (still has a few holes to fill) full 50 ft rows with cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, lettuce, Brussels, and kale. Needless to say, I was toast! I woke up this morning feeling like I walked up the Rose Island Trail hill at Charlestown State Park TWICE! I am moving rather slowly, lol! I did finally make it out to check on the babies and I saw plenty of green and suspect them to flourish so long as storms tonight don’t bring hail to pound them or something similar.
Looks like, even though I am feeling a week or two behind schedule, that we are off to a good start!
Have a Blessed week, Friends! -Alicia
