Garden Journal :: rain on the horizon

Clouds gathered in the mountains this morning as I drank my daily chai tea. This is a welcome sight as it has been a very dry spring so far and the garden has suffered. In my daily garden journal I jotted down a few activities that must be done, finished off my drink, and got started right away.

I must admit that despite my constant efforts, my garden is not quite thriving. This calendar year has been challenging and I felt myself pulled in too many directions. Now that my dreaded day job has been left in the past I have had the time to focus on homesteading, herbalism, and all the activities those require.

With a little extra time each day, and especially on the weekends, there are also more moments to enjoy the beauty of the place where I live. Some mixture of wild onion and leek are growing all over the place. The roots themselves are very fibrous and hard to use in cooking but the flowers are worth admiration. Floral admiration done with I moved on to my little greens garden.

The trays and pots of micro greens need weeding often and the young seedlings need rotating. At the corner of my little nursery are a selection of plants that are quickly outgrowing their pots and need to be planted en la tierra.

Mostly they are tomatoes of a few different varieties. Some I planted from seed and others were birthday gifts. With the forecast of rain for tonight I felt confident that in the ground they would thrive and started at once to dig holes for their permanent location.

With a few new plants in the ground I felt a bit more hopeful at the prospect of an abundant spring and summer ahead. But, I know that it isn't so simple as planting and forgetting. Here in such a dry and hot climate adding layers of mulch is a necessity. With a wheelbarrow and rake I went out looking for dried leaves and matured horse manure.

Like any hobbit, I have a super fast metabolism and am constantly dreaming of my next snack. Luckily the garden has a hedge row of mulberries trees all around and my intervals of work are rewarded with handfuls of delicious berries!

A break in the clouds let through blinding rays of sunshine and I was reminded of the pile of dishes to be washed, the computer work that needed editing, the dried herbs that need sorting and bagging, and other endless activities of homesteading life.

With one last look around the garden and a few images captured to share here, I packed up my tools and seeds, washed my hands with the sprinkler and headed inside. Tomorrow is composting day and will be another opportunity to criticize and admire my work here in the garden.