Digging In The Dirt

Or, How I Spent My Weekend

Dirt under my nails, dirt all over my feet, dirt all over my clothes, my face, my hair..........
it was all about being outside, away from the computer way more than I usually am, and working in the garden this weekend.

We started on Saturday morning as we went on a quest for more organic seeds and potatoes (to add to the four I found growing in the garden already from last year) and some organic tomato seedlings. We lucked out on both fronts finding our seeds at the local Agway just around the corner. The seedlings we found at a local organic farm stand where I was greeted by a roaming chicken.  They had a nice selection of tomatoes, except for one I always plant for freezing: Romas. So I am still on a quest for some Roma seedlings.

Once we got back to The Bates Estate we got busy outside in the vegetable garden.

We were 'one with nature'.

G had some some planting last weekend, beans, spinach, kale, radish, lettuce, and chard.

To that we added more green beans, peas, cucumbers, potatoes, butternut squash, buttercup squash, summer squash, arugula and peas.  Oh, and more radish because I didn't know G had planted some already until I was watering this morning and noticed he had radish popping up. Should be good for salads this summer to say the least.

It's a pretty big garden and in addition to planting I worked hard on mulching with cardboard covered with leaves between each row. On top of that, we hope to put some salt marsh hay (it doesn't have grass seeds and weeds that get into your garden bed like regular hay can) on top for extra mulch. I'm hoping it will do a great job at keeping the weeds down so all the veg can grow, grow, grow.   G needs to pick up some more cardboard for me and then I can continue on my merry mulching way in hopes of staving off the weeds. We shall see.

I'll take some pictures of what it looks like now so you can see along with us, how the garden progresses. Be prepared for a midsummer weed takeover picture if the mulch doesn't do what I'm hoping it will do.

All of that said, it just felt so awesome to be out in the sunshine digging in the dirt. There is something about working in the soil and earth that, although it it's hard work, it's also stress relieving.

So I challenge you to get out in nature this week and take it all in whether you're digging in the dirt or walking in the woods or through a park. Just breathe it all in.

What was happening in your world this weekend? Did  you get out and dig in the dirt or did curl up with a good book inside? Spill the beans.

Ciao for now,