Spring is here in full force, whether the calendar agrees or not. Every time I look outside at the garden I feel like I’m in a marathon race with the ever growing weeds. The soil around here is clay, so there is a small window of opportunity to easily pull weeds after a rain shower. Our window was late last week and on Saturday. By Sunday our window was up. It feels overwhelming, this big vegetable garden full of weeks. Sometimes I feel defeated already, that the weeds have already won this marathon, but as Scott reminded me the other day, we just need to work at it little by little everyday and we’ll get rid of them.
Meanwhile, let’s turn our heads away from the weed filled veggie garden down to the weed filled narcissus and daffodils that popped up this late winter. There are about four rows at the front of the vegetable garden that popped up and many large clumps that appeared all over the yard. I wasn’t all that familiar with narcissus before now, but their smell is out of this world! So fragrant! Put them on your must plant list!
The asparagus is also shooting up, everyday we go out and pick a thick handful. This is only one of two large, long rows. We’re spoiled. We planted three meager asparagus plants at our last house, now I have learned that it’s best to plant more than you’ll think you’ll ever need. You can always share with friends, right?
Above is a sign of progress that makes me a very, very happy woman. Drip tubing! Installed in two flower beds with a thick layer of mulch over the top.
How do you have such a green thumbs???? any secrets? I would love to know!
Oh my goodness! Asparagus! That is so wonderful. I have heard they are really difficult to grow, is it true? I would *love* to grow them!
You should watch this video and consider this as a solution to your weeds!
http://vimeo.com/28055108 I have seen very small sections of this in various places but never thought of doing it for the whole garden!
By the Way, I LOVE your blog and I live in Petaluma and would love to see your garden someday!!
absolutely LOVELY shots! (and i love the narcissus too!)
(i also really wanted to thankyou for stopping by with your kind words re: my knitting ‘cake’..i really do hope it’s destined for something wonderful! It’s been ripped out a few times prior! )
Asparagus! How exciting!
I can’t wait till our asparagus patch starts producing!
Our asparagus was un-pickable this year for youth. I dream of yummy asparagus. And maybe in the future I’ll add more because I bet we could eat almost any amount. Yours looks lovely.
Three cheers for asparagus and drip tubing! I LOVE spring.
After 2 years of waiting we finally have our first asparagus harvests this year! They have become a constant in our meals lately, and here – http://www.comidayolas.com/2012/02/harvest-monday-21912.html – you can see one of our harvests (though, there have been so many more since). Definitely a great addition to any garden! Love the blog!!
Don’t weed, sheet mulch, and read up on Permaculture, a good start is Gaia’s Garden or Sepp Holzer’s book Permaculture or Google Bountiful Gardens of Ecology Action of the Mid Peninsula. You are way too busy to weed. Come and join us who grow way more and work a lot less than those who follow conventional gardening/agricultural methods! Love your blog!
Your asparagus is amazing! I need to plant some.