My wife and I finished the other half of the gardens yesterday, and it was much easier with her help than the first two that I did on my own. The front left garden is at a bit of an angle compared to the others, but I'm satisfied for now. I put in an order last night for mulch and a few other things that I picked up this morning. That's one thing that's come of this pandemic - much more ordering online for pickup. Never have to get out of your car, just show up and they put your stuff in the back. We'll likely keep this up even after these pandemic times.
So I picked up 4 bags of mulch, and it took two in the garden paths. I knew 4 would be more than enough but it was dirt cheap and I know we'll have other uses and places for it this year. I also spread grass seed around the outside of the gardens and the mulched area. I have a few other places in the yard to get grass to fill in, too, but that's for another time. After mulch and seed I gave it a good watering, trying not to wash away the seed. I hate to do it, but I may have to put straw down in the seeded areas this year to get grass to grow, but we'll see.
We had snow flurries on a couple days this past week. Nothing stuck, but one day it did look like a blizzard for a short time. April has been below normal in temperatures for us, but also below normal in snowfall. We still have a few days left, but I don't see any low temperatures below freezing and the highs get much better, very nice and warm the next couple days, then mid-60's (ºF, or upper teens ºC) for the rest of the week.
The new grill is put together and ready to go, so can't wait to try that out one of these nice evenings. The old one is starting to rust out inside and very dirty so it was time to replace it. We got it shortly after we got the house so has served us well for over a decade. Both grills are made by Kenmore, but I like the new one because there is no side burner (that we never used anyway) and the side shelves fold down, thus taking up less garage space. Getting rid of the old one now will cost us $35.00 for an appliance sticker to have the city pick it up. I could put it out on the terrace and hope some metal scavenger picks it up, but 35 bucks to guarantee it goes away is fine with me.
This year's big spring project is now pretty much done, so I'll have to figure out something to keep me busy on my spring vacation coming up in a few weeks. My vacation will just about be two weeks after my second shot, so I may go gallivanting about to stores, bars and restaurants that I've been avoiding for over a year now. It will probably seem a little weird, but in a good way. And people, friends, so many that I've barely seen, if at all, in over a year. I want to socialize again! Do I remember how?
7 comments:
Those four raised beds look really smart. Nicely done. Happy growing!
You've been busy. Looking good!
The 'reuse' rather than 'dispose of' part of me says, why not put the old grill out with a 'free to a good home' sign on it. While it may be rusting and past its best to you, to someone who doesn't have one and can't afford one, it will be a blessing. Or maybe someone would want it for parts, or to use for some other purpose. If it doesn't go, you can always pay to have it taken away then.
It amazes me how many people believe that once they've had 2 shots their lives can be normal again. All I'll say is 'false sense of security'.
Thank you, Nic. Truthfully, we're not great gardeners. We try to plant easy things and still get mixed results, but its fun to try.
Thank you, BW. So far I'm liking the metal and have faith in its lasting. I'm also glad I put a sealer at the seams. Time will tell.
I know I kept the outside of the old grill looking good, but its usable life is behind it, really. It will get recycled whether the city picks it up or a scrap specialist grabs it. Truthfully, BW, not sure anyone would take it, in its state.
There are many and varied beliefs about the vaccine, let alone the various governments restrictions, tight or lax. We all take in information and make our own decisions. Hopefully well-informed decisions, but all are personal decisions.
My thoughts are that I had it over a year ago now, and have been very careful about it since, mostly by being homebound for over a year. Finally getting fully vaccinated, to the extent we're aware of at this time, makes me feel the benefits of putting myself out there again outweigh the risks of contracting it again or passing it to someone else.
But it's a personal decision, for everyone.
Those raised beds are just the ticket and they should last you a long time. Are you planning to stick with tried and tested plants this year? I am sticking with my usual tomatoes, chillies and planting lots of Marigolds. We are giving the wildflowers a miss this year but I will haunt the various stalls and shops as I do want a couple of special plants to add some colour. No ideas yet but blues or purples come to mind and it will be fun having a look for something new.
Happy gardening!
Thank you, Delcatto. Yes, the strawberry plants and raspberries will have their own garden. The strawberries in the top left will be replaced with garlic in the fall, and last night my wife planted a bunch of herbs and lettuce and more in the top right. Easier the better, for us!
Herbs and lettuce are a good choice. We seem to have lost our garlic patch and I should really put some more in as we had a great crop for a couple of years. I have removed most of our raspberry canes as last years neglect saw them run wild and spread everywhere. I might try and get some strawberries inas a late addition but the current weather is cold and damp, not good at all for planting out seedlings although we really do need the rain.
My wife is a wonderful cook, so garlic and herbs will certainly be useful. We still have hot peppers in the freezer from growing them several years ago, lemon peppers, and she still uses them for cooking. The berries, well, we'll see what we get.
We really could use rain, too. It's been quite a while.
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