Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Tilly

It's getting serious now. I have decided that weeds will not get the upper hand in my garden. Dave did the research and we headed off for town to find one of these mini-tillers. The first couple of stores did not have the one we wanted but the third store was the charm.

Dave gave it the maiden try in the new kitchen bed. Very efficient. It will chew up the leaves and dig in the bag of garden lime I bought, to sweeten up the soil, incorporate the leaves and lighten the mix.

But we really need it in the orchard. The soil is still too wet to work, but we had to try anyway. Lots of not-blueberries in this row. The plan (ha!) is to till the weeds out, and cover the area with mulch. The blueberries have fat buds all over them, and even the grape vines are showing signs of life.
But the best sign is the opening buds on the Belle of Georgia Peach. In town the whole place is full of blossoming Bradford pear trees. We are cooler up on the mountain and it will be another week before all our trees open.

When I woke this morning, late at 6, it was already 60 degrees out, and so very windy. The sky has a pink tinge and I am guessing I will not be planting anything today before the rains come.
The blog has taken on a Farmer's Almanac flavor. I apologize that there is no knitting or quilting content lately. But one must not tarry to establish the foundations of the garden, our joint artwork.
I mentioned to Dave that we could order pine tree seedlings and he said we didn't have time to see them mature. Wha? You mean we aren't going to live forever? Well, I guess not, but when you build a garden you feel like you are making something that lives on past your own days and that is some sort of legacy.

13 comments:

  1. Spring is sprung, in the garden and the gardener's heart! You're going to have a lovely garden to play in for years... wonderful!

    Ermmm... I think blueberries have pretty shallow roots so don't dig too deeply close to the bushes. We used to grow them in Louisiana... luscious little morsels!

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  2. I think you should go with some sort of pines... maybe not seedlings.. something a little more mature.

    It is going to look great.

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  3. Mrs. Mel -
    LOVE the garden content. Creating is creating whether it is done with fabric or foliage.
    5 years ago we purchased 100 white pine seedlings from the state of Indiana. Most of them are now a good 15 feet tall. BUY the seedlings. You will be amazed at how quickly they grow. Besides it's good for the planet.
    Keep sharing, please. I love everything about your blog. I promise not to lurk so much.

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  4. Pines are tough. Maybe in your neck of the woods they will do better. Here they get all manner of things nad then turn brown and die.
    Everything sounds just wonderful. What a project!

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  5. Anonymous11:14 AM

    Don't apologize for the whole 'no fiber art' lately thing! I live in Minnesota, and since my soil is still frozen solid, I am enjoying the living daylights out of watching you play in the dirt. We gardeners all understand that the garden has to go in, and the fabric and fiber will still be there when the plants have all been tucked into their new homes. Now, get out there and get dirty. :-)

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  6. Keep talking gardening, I love it! Maybe it will actually get warm enough here to get out and do something soon.

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  7. I like the garding stuff too - keep it up!

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  8. Fiber or nature, either makes my heart pitty pat. My hubbie has this thing with blueberry bushes, for mulch they prefer oak leaves (acid) rather than wood chips. I'm no expert, just what I heard, hope it helps.

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  9. Farmer's Almanac or Mrs. Mel's Fiber Update - they are all interesting. You have a 'voice' that makes it work.

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  10. Anonymous4:42 PM

    I love watching the Spring awakening. I, too, believe that making a garden is an extremely creative endeavor. Can't wait to see the pictures that you publish in June!

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  11. Anonymous7:56 PM

    Pines grow pretty fast, especially white pines. Before you plant any, though, you might want to consult your County Extention Agent about local preferred varieties and disease issues. :)

    Linda

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  12. Your morning description made me feel like I was there. And everything looks so nice and busy, lots of purpose going on there.
    Can't wait until everything starts blooming.

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  13. I've got one of those mini tillers too, they are real work horses! sorry to hear about your ducks. My ducks slowly disappeared due to raccoons. Nasty cute beasts, they love to kill fowl. Your garden content rather than fiber is just as interesting to me. It is your love of whatever you are doing that shines through your blog and makes it enjoyable.
    Jan

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Hello,
So nice of you to drop by. I love your comments, and if you would really like a reply, please email me at fibermania at g mail dot com