Several weeks ago (before the rains started) the ground was hard as a giant chunk of rock. It was so hard it necessitated a sledge hammer to pierce anything into the unforgiving crust. Since then, as I mentioned, the rains have permeated the hard, angry floor and has softened it to a very amiable, dark, even luscious soil. It will be perfect for my next experiment.
Why yes, that is Donald on a tractor, digging into the soaked dirt. And yes, this was the day of December 13, of heavy, torrential rain storms. No, it may not have been the wisest day to choose to dig in to the over-wet “mud,” but it was the day the plan struck me, and seeing as Donald had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do (just kidding) immediate gratification appeared at the tip of the tractor claw.
I’ve alluded a bit in past posts to my fear of big projects, which is what this garden is to me. With the guidance of my wonderful mentor, I have taken my big problem and turned it into a small possibility, which, in the grand scheme of things, is a HUGE possibility. Because now things are happening!
Anyone who has ever gardened will say the key is to start small. So this here chunk is what I will be working with. It will encompass 100 square feet of raised Square Foot Garden beds and 100 square feet of row gardening. The experiment is to compare how much harvest each method will yield. The compost is now relocated to the wooden squares in the photo, which is perfect because the row garden will be where the compost used to be, providing an incredibly rich soil to grow in.
I’m excited for the Christmas Holidays, for I will be seeing all but one brother of the four, and as crazy as it sounds, I am anxious to get to the Texas warmth, away from the California chill. I never thought I’d say such words, but hey, there has been frost on the ground the past few days! I am wearing a scarf and a beanie in my office!
But of course, there are garden preparations to be made before my week-long vacation. I will be planting loads of broccoli seeds in the next few days. I haven’t yet decided if I’ll keep them in the reliable warmth of my bedroom (I’m running out of space!) or sealing them in to my self-made mini hoop house.
I’ll definitely have to drape another layer of plastic over top this one I’m sure, in order to hold in enough heat for seedlings in the cold nights. Perhaps it is experiment time! I’m so glad you said that. I’ll do some seedlings inside and some in the double layered mini hoop house, and I’ll compare their health to see how effective my heat trapping efforts are. Oh! I’m so excited. And now, excuse me, I have to go plant some seeds!
