Onions, Shallots, & Peace ~ Garden 2011

Garden Friends

 It was a successful day.  Peaceful, quiet, and productive. I spent three lovely hours working in the garden.  I did get that healing massage and I took the time to get a pedicure.  This gave me at least one hour of relaxing with a book today too.

 
Funny, I got a manicure too but  that's just to make my hands look nice and clear up the frayed cuticles, they don't stay very pretty for long.  Within about an hour and a half of leaving the nail salon, I was out in the garden, my fingers deep in the mud.  It was cloudy, but not raining much.  There were a few drops, but nothing to keep me indoors.  It was, however, very cold.  I brought extra socks, wore leggings under my jeans, carried extra gloves, and brought some ear muffs just in case.  No problem though, soon I was too warm and grateful I dressed in layers.

I weeded the mound we had most of our peppers in last year and planted about 100 white onions, 100 yellow onions, and maybe a dozen large shallots.  The plant by the small post is a Columbine already waking up from the winter.  There was quite a bit of green growing from the center. I gave them a little trim too.  The ground temperature was 45° today, perfect for onions and peas.  Hopefully I'll get some lettuce, chard, kale, and spinach in the ground this weekend too. But, if the weather doesn't allow it, that's OK.  I managed to get quite a lot done today.  I can work on the indoor seedlings.

I softened, weeded, and turned the dirt at the bottom of the structure our beans grew on last year and planted a package of snap peas.

Peas Soon

A benefit of working in a community garden is getting the chance to learn from other gardeners.  There were three or four out there today checking out what work needed to be done. A couple of the older gentlemen came over to say hi and see what I was planting. I enjoy watching everyone's garden growing too, everyone has their own style.

Elizabeth, the gardener right behind us, uses a cardboard and leaf mulch.  She packs dry leaves into her plot all winter.  She's got a pretty good bed going now.

The Jolly's have a very nice raised garden set up.  They'll be out there soon too planting their kole crops.  They'll drape plastic on those hoops making it nice and warm inside for their tomatoes and peppers.

The neighbors right next to us use, what I think they said is a Japanese system.  They built an oblong structure and place their compost in the center.  The roots of the plants then grow into the compost and the plants grow kind of a vertical.  It's very pretty when it's green and blooming. 

And the best part of all, I came home with somewhat of a harvest. There were a whole bunch of tiny little carrots that stayed in the dirt all winter.

I also managed to smile inside myself most of the day.  It could have been very different due to the events of the morning in the courtroom.  But, I started the day with some meditation, prayer, a gratitude list, and a mission to stay calm and positive. Staying calm throughout the day wasn't very hard at all.

Life is good and gardening is cheaper than therapy!