Of all the things I love . . cooking, knitting, quilting and gardening . . I think gardening is my very favorite. That’s what I’m saying today when it’s about 65º and sunny. In July and August, when it’s 110º and the sun is beaming down . . I’m betting gardening will not be my favorite hobby.
Tilling for the Peas
Today Vince is out tilling the unplanted spots so I can get peas, onions and brussels sprouts planted.
The soil in the garden spot is so amazing. Yesterday when I was in town I bought some apricot trees but couldn’t get them home in the Highlander. We were going to go back in the pickup and get them this morning but our neighbors were going to town so they said they would bring them home for us. They had owned all this property before selling it to the folks we bought it from and they couldn’t believe that we hadn’t done anything to the soil here . . it’s just like we found it.
Soil
Having good soil makes such a difference in the life of a gardener. We would have to work so much harder to have a decent garden if we didn’t have good soil to start with.
I dug some of the most beautiful carrots for the neighbors this morning. Vince said he wanted some to munch on so I’m going out to dig more and wash them for him since he’s working so hard! 
Lettuce
Just look at that lettuce! It keeps producing and everywhere I find an empty stop, I plant more lettuce. It should make well til July or August and then by September, I should be able to start planting lettuce again.
Lettuce closeup
It’s real hard to buy grocery store lettuce after having this good stuff.
The neighbor is still trying to get a witcher out to find them and us a spot to put in a garden well that we can run off a solar panel. I’ll be so happy to get a second well and take some of the stress of our current well, which we’re using for the garden and all the fruit trees.
Back out to the garden I go . .
This makes me want to dig in the dirt! Did you add any chicken manure? I think I’m going to add some aged stuff to ours this spring.
The lettuce is so pretty.
Didn’t add any to the garden. We didn’t get our chicks til March so what little we had that was aged went into the asparagus beds.
The first years we planted a garden we had the best luck, ours is still always good but have to do more to replenish the ground. Now we bring in “aged” horse manure in the fall…we rotate our crips but after 30 years that wasn’t enough..
One thing for certain is that I will not be gardening after 30 years. With 45 acres, not all of it is great soil but there’ are enough good spots out there that we’ll eventually work a second spot and give this one a rest.
Oh, that dirt looks good! I love playing in the dirt. Your lettuce is beautiful . It’s way too cold here to garden-40′s, so u have fun! Micki
I just wish I could keep the DANG Deer out of my little garden. It is a really small space. my other problem is the run off. we are towards the bottom of a hill and DH leveled the yard when he first built here so EVERYTHING runs down into our yard. most of the spring it is MUSHY.
If it’s so dry here again this summer it’s going to put a lot of stress on domestic and municipal wells. The irrigators just can’t get it through their heads that they aren’t the only ones who need water. It’s becoming an issue causing ill feeling among neighbors.
It’s a little different here. The municipal water comes from a lake that is filled by rain water and run off water. Wells come from aquifers that don’t affect the municipal water supply but both well users and municipal water customers are having to watch our usage and pray for this drought to end soon.
Jury, what is a witcher? I have no idea, it must be a term used on your side of the world, not mine:-)
it is someone who can use a y shaped branch to look for water. the reason i know is because my dad could do it and for some reason so can i.
Thank you Marie for answering. Witchers are hard to find around here. We don’t dare drill a well without guidance from a witcher.
I wish our dirt was half that good. we can’t even grow decent grass for the lawn. any gardening here is in containers!
That looks like gold to me. We are now building “keyhole gardens” in the back garden. We fought armadillos and raccoons so much, we’re trying something else. We are on a solid limestone hill so soil has to be trucked in. When we started our raised beds, we spent over $3000. In soil mix to fill them. We constantly replenish the nutrients. We have good luck growing, but the bugs and critters are a constant battle. We’ve had no luck with fruit trees. They don’t like rock to grow in. We do have lots of pecan trees, though. Also got a fig tree to grow. Love figs. I can’t get my lettuce to look like yours. Any secrets.
As I look at maybe a foot of snow, I envy you. Have a grand time in your garden!
I haven’t even ordered seeds yet, Will be about 6 – 7 weeks before I can put anything in. Have an order almost ready to send, but for now the ground is still like cement. I envy you being able to have fresh things this time of year. for me its only sprouting for fresh in the winter.
Judy, I want to show my husband your beautiful garden from this past year, is there anyway I can find those pictures on your blog? Thanks, Jane
I can’t begin to tell you how jealous I am of you and your beautiful “ranch”. I hate the desert!
65!?!?!? I was counting my blessings that it is in the 40′s today and the sun is shining, and almost all the snow is gone (very early for eastern WA). I did have some lettuce like that last summer in a pot on the deck (shaded). And then I came home one day from shopping to discover the %^&*( DEER had discovered my pot as well. Along with my one and only birthday rose. I was just picking leaves and not the whole plant because it was so pretty. Bambi wasn’t shy, however. The deer are really pests in my yard.
A witcher! Haven’t heard that term since I was a little girl still living on the farm. Your lettuce looks lovely. We finally got some snow here in Chicagoland.