Gardens, Bugs, Kids

10 days ago the vegetable garden spot looked like this:

In the upper right corner of the photo, you can see the garden as it normally looks each spring. There are some mules in the photo and they were still moving between pastures #2 and #3. #2 is a winter lot, #3 is a wooded lot.

This is just after I spread the dirt in front of the porch and put grass seed down along with some hay chaff. The pots are my version of weird and funky.

Next? This is yesterday afternoon.

The mules have moved to the meadow out back [pasture #5], the cattle that remain are in the woods doing some brush cleaning.

Rich took nearly a week to complete the tilling but I am happy.  He struggled with it and could only do a little at a time. But I am over the moon happy. This is the first time I haven't had to do it by hand in a few years.

Doesn't it look nice?

On May 20th, my neighbor kids came down to visit and chat. This was when I was getting ready to seed the dirt in front of the porch. They loved my bucket of collected seeds from last year. I invited them to plant them and tromp them into the dirt.

Yesterday the seeded area looked like this:

I have Zinnias, marigolds, green beans and probably a few other flowers mixed in. I thought of transplanting the green beans, but I may let them stay just for fun.
I will thin and transplant some of the other flowers.
The odd looking bucket has oregano in it. The spool table holds a collection of strange roots and some painted deer skulls that the kids added bling to.

I'll get photos of those later.

Things are starting to shape up and look pretty!
The garden is going to be a delight to work in this year.

I'll have lettuce, tomatoes, green beans, sweet corn, turnips, carrots, and peas. There will be some red sweet peppers too, just for the added colors.

Of course against Rich's wishes, there will be sunflowers, zinnias, four o'clocks, and anything else I care to plop in the dirt. I see the malva has self seeded in the garden next to the rain gauge. One plant is by the house also.

Rich isn't quite sure as to why I insist on having flowers in the vegetable garden. But why not?

I have to find a spot to plant some squash. I think I'll put them up in the holding pen that isn't being used right now.

Back in 2014 I shared the garden space with some other neighbors. We had a very crowded garden. Their methods for growing were very different than mine, however we did have a great harvest.

Last but not least.
Bugs.
Allie loves bugs and she always finds the most interesting ones.
She brings me May Beetles to see, and then she came down with a stick bug.

It looks like today is going to be mostly dedicated to planting the garden.