Design

It was a beautiful sunny (and warm) day in the mountains.  A quick trip to the local farmer's supply yielded 5 bags each of mushroom compost and composted cow manure.  The commercial compost in the raised beds has settled and shrunk since their initial filling last year, so needs more 'soil' additions and a nutrient boost before spring planting. The mid-summer beds were lush, so plenty of nutrients were taken up and harvested. raised beds in late July 2010 The mushroom compost was the best I've seen - it looked like the 'real thing' - light, fluffy. amended with sand, and without the sticks and debris of other bags I've purchased labeled 'mushroom compost.'  The cow manure was also a bit close to the real thing, being a bit aromatic of cow manure! After topping off the beds and turning over the soil a bit, I hopefully sowed a round of sugar snap peas and snow peas in one of the front beds, along with broccoli raab, mustard greens, and spinach.  I tuc...

A wonderfully balmy winter day was perfect for planting.  Feb. 14 is often used as the marker for planting peas (garden, sugar snap, and snow) across the continent, but it's not often so pleasant as today, here in the Eastern U.S., although days like this are typical in late February. The soil in the 'main' vegetable garden was frozen on the surface until about noon (it's shady this time of year now, because of the angle of the sun, and the increasing height of the shrub row and hollies beyond the fence).  The satellite garden beds were warm in contrast -- I meant to check the difference in soil temperatures. peas, onions, and garlic in the satellite garden I worked up the beds, planted 2 bundles of onion plants, sowed peas (of all sorts mentioned above),  sprinkled out some collards and sprouting broccoli seeds as an experiment, and poked some radish seeds around the pea plantings. garlic and onion beds My seed potatoes should be on their way tomorrow, so I'll get ...