Art has finally agreed this year to help me make a garden in the back. It means beating back the Bermuda, which is no easy task, so Art applied some engineering smarts to the whole process, and it now looks like we're building a swimming pool in the back yard. It went from a plot of land bordered by cinder blocks to a complicated fence of three different layers of blocks. We're digging the earth out one big square at a time so that we can get as much dirt off of the Bermuda as possible while still keeping it intact. Our neighbor and surrogate son, Carl, helped me and we came up with a pretty effective way to get rid of large clumps of Bermuda sans dirt. I know it will still be very frustrating this first year, and probably for many to come, to keep the Bermuda at bay, but I'm hoping we're saving ourselves at least a little bit of trouble in the future.
I'm already sharing a garden with Art's mother. We've started planting the cooler crops, and are trying to con Art's father into tilling up the beds for the bigger crops so we won't have to do it ourselves in a few weeks. When it's all said and done, we'll have onions (5 kinds), potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers, peas, snap peas, green beans, carrots, corn (2 kinds), squash, zucchini, watermelon (2 kinds), cantaloupe, pumpkins, okra, strawberries, cucumbers, lettuce and spinach. And probably some things I'm forgetting. That's just in her garden. Mine is going to be mostly herbs and some small tomatoes and hot peppers. My Mother-in-law is a very experienced gardener, with lots of space for the garden. Me, not so much, on both counts.
My husbands extended family makes fun of me for starting to garden, because they know what I'm in for and I don't. I have decided to take this as a personal challenge rather than an insult to my abilities (Do you hear that Aunt L? I will not be defeated! I know you're reading this.=] ) Anyway, we'll see I guess. It's fun to try new things, and if it doesn't work out, what's the worst that could happen? We'll have to work for a couple years to get Bermuda back in a big rectangular patch in our backyard.
I'll keep you posted on how this all turns out.
6 comments:
At that age they are so willing to help..when they turn 19...well not so much
With all that help and your "can do" attitude you will have a wonderful garden! :) I wish I had that much knowledge when it comes to my feeble gardening attempts.
Or plant a huge patch of wildflowers that comes in a bag that looks like insulation. The ditch will make watering easy...or put in a little wading pool where goldfish can be restocked every year and neighborhood dogs can stop for a drink...or a trampoline bed...all sorts of possibilities
Way to go! You have a great start and a clear vision!
I keep dreaming of a garden, but haven't actually put anything into action!
Do you really want to know how long Bermuda can keep coming back? Gardening can be addictive--be careful.
I'm sure you'll do well with experienced help, your extreme stubbornness, and your huge book nerdiness, lol. You'll be reading up like crazy to prove you can do it.
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