Gardening Pictures (Otherwise known as pictures of dirt)

Today is gorgeous and tomorrow is supposed to be rainy, so I moseyed out to the garden to plant leeks and potatoes. We have to plant onions, potatoes, English peas, lettuce, spinach, and many other common plants early to produce anything at all because we get so hot so early that everything bolts.

To plant the leek starts, I hoed, picked out weeds, and turned in the wood ashes we had thrown on during the Winter. Then I took a broken hoe handle and made 6" deep holes, then put a leek in each hole. I didn't bother to fill in the hole. When it rains tonight or tomorrow morning the leeks will be perfectly covered for now. Later, I will add more dirt so I will get more white and pale green per leek.

The second picture of dirt is really a picture of the lettuce I planted right before the last cold snap. I thought I might have to replant, but amazingly enough, it appears that enough germinated that I will have to thin the plants. I broadcast these seeds and harvest leaves only, so it won't have to be thinned much. With our hot temperatures, our growing season, without the aid of greenhouses, is short so we rarely expect any of the lettuce to make an organized head, so I never plant any of that kind.

Tomorrow morning, I will go get a truck load of worm castings from my carpenter who also sidelined as a worm farmer. I will add the castings to the asparagus bed, potatoes, and strawberries in liberal amounts.