Sarah Mae Keeps Busy

Friends it has been a while! I was contemplating changing the name of this series to “This Month In The Garden” but through May and June things will be changing so much that there is no telling how often I’ll be updating. First I want to go into how much my garden space has changed in the last few years. I was going through some old photos in my camera roll and was surprised to find a few snaps of the mess that was last years garden. I honestly thought I hadn’t taken any pics because it was so ugly. I was surprised at how happy I was to find these little gems even though the garden was a wreck at the time.

2020

2021

It’s so strange to me that I keep coming back to this thing where I feel like I failed at the end of every season. The only time I finished a garden season wanting to go back to it was the year I lived with my grandparents. My grandfather did the tilling between the rows and I did the small work around the plants themselves. It looked like one of those classic and simple row gardens you might imagine when thinking of a small farm garden. The most impressive thing about it was its clean, straight rows. That was the year I learned that the second round of cantaloupe tastes better than the first fruits. My heart gets all mushy when I think about it.

Last year was so bad that I didn’t even think I was going to have a garden this year. In January I was telling my husband that I still wasn’t sure I wanted to bother with it because all I got last year was a ton of enormous cucumbers and a few grape tomatoes. Granted, look at that grass. It’s practically up to my knees. I am so glad I changed my mind because I really believe this year is going to be the best year. Just look at those mulched pathways in that most recent photo. How can this year not be beautiful?

Next year is going to be even better because the perennial flowers I plant this year will be blooming next year. Gah! I can hardly contain myself!

Okay. Focusing. Updates. Seedlings. Just look at these precious babies!

They look nothing like the sad, leggy seedlings I grew my first year living here. These babies might even have a chance. (They have more than a chance. I am quite confident in these guys.)

And of course there is the garden itself.

While there is not much new to see right now, it is still something to behold. If you’ll notice that pile of wire fencing in the corner, we do intend to fence this puppy in this spring after we get the topsoil moved in. The only thing that is keeping it from being done is the rain. My grandfather has to come up to my place with his tractor to help move the topsoil from the driveway to the garden. But the ground has to be dry enough to drive the tractor in the grass. It’s a mess. Last weekend I needed a bed ready so that I could plant my peas so my husband had to bring more than 5 loads of topsoil from across the yard in the wheel barrow. That is flipping heavy work, but he is really strong so he managed it well.

And that is it, my friends. That is what we have going on in the garden for right now. Another month and hopefully it will be totally different. I cannot wait to get the fence in to keep the deer and rabbits out. I cannot wait to have all my beds filled with food. Basically, I cannot wait. Stick around friends, and I will see you next week.