Day 84 - Gardening

In the summer I love to go to my garden and pick fresh vegetables and prepare them.  So fresh.  So tasty.  So convenient. 

For the last two years I have had a garden.  The first year went pretty smooth because Bob did most of the work with making the box and filling it with dirt.  I started a little late but ended up with wonderful tomatoes, peppers and squash.  Last year the drought hurt and I had a ton of weeds. 

This year I am using the lasagna gardening technique.  In November I covered my garden with cardboard and watered it down well.  The rains that followed through fall and winter helped to keep it moist so that the cardboard could start to break down. 

Today I lifted it up and underneath was super moist and rich looking soil with lots of worms and bugs composting.  I dug down a layer and started to bury my cardboard under the rich dirt.  It serves to keep moisture in the soil and prevent weeds.  When planting, it is easy to dig through the cardboard because it is already soft and supple from keeping it wet.

I also prepared a front flower bed that I plan to use as an herb garden this year.  This will be my first time to try growing herbs.

Over the next few weeks I plan to finish preparing my garden so that I can begin planting in early March.  Besides tomatoes and peppers I haven't decided yet what I will be planting. 

There is something magical about planting a garden.  Putting your hands in the soil.  Preparing for something so natural and healthy.  It just feels right.