Memorial Weekend Garden Update

It is always strange when Memorial Day weekend falls during finals week. It is an extra day to the weekend, but during a week when there aren't regular classes it often doesn't feel that much like a day off. Also, with grading and preparing finals, it sometimes isn't much of a day off. This year DID feel like a long weekend. By Sunday morning my hands were sore from yard work and by Sunday night I was sleeping with my hands elevated on a pillow--probably should have used some ice, too, now that I think about it. Now that is a sign of a weekend where a lot of work is being done! The wonderful steak dinner made by the Aunt on Sunday night undoubtedly helped them heal!

Then, El Esposo had Monday off so we both tackled yard projects that day. He continued with more yard work yesterday, using a trailer to take away some accumulated brush. Here are a few pictures I took with my phone while working.

I started by cleaning up the artichoke plants, cutting them back and giving them a boost of fertilizer so that I can get a fall crop maybe. In the process I harvested the last of the spring artichokes. This is about half of what I took off!
In the process of cleaning up the veggie garden area, I also harvested the garlic that I planted last fall and some stray volunteer potatoes that had been growing all winter.
Then I took a break from the vegetable garden to plant some seeds. I LOVE these seed starter trays! I got them from someone who runs a native plant restoration project. They were well used and ready to be replaced, but perfect for my non-industrial needs! You may not be able to tell from the picture, but there are 98 little tubes there! This tray is planted with sunflower seeds. Yes! Ninety-eight of them! I have to find a place to grow a sunflower forest. I have always wanted one and this year I will have it!

I also planted another tray(98 seeds!!!) full of cucumbers (Poona Keera and White Wonder) and beans (Lazy Housewife and Turkey Craw). The beans can be used as snap, shell or dry beans, but I think I am most interested in shell and dry beans. These seeds said they would be good as any type. Maybe that's why the name Lazy Housewife! She could be too lazy to harvest the green beans and still get shell or dry beans!

So then, back to the vegetable garden area. EE transferred a bin of compost from my beloved compost bin (thanks Aunt and Uncle!) to the unused bed. I dug it in, et voila!
A lovely soft bed for the upcoming cukes! Beans will go in the back where the favas and sweet peas are now. The waiting bed has been covered with rice straw and everything looks neat and orderly in the garden. This is an ABSOLUTE first for me, I tell you!

Finally, those of you who have been here have seen the brush pile. Those of you who haven't--I try very hard to keep it out of the pictures! It was a good idea gone wild. A small brush pile for the wildlife and for continual composting near the vegetable garden. Spread it out every spring and start over. Well,...no... It was huge. It was unsightly. But thanks to El Esposo, it is now gone.
The pile of dirt there is a combination of mostly the decomposed brush from about 3 years. It also includes some sod that he dug up from the front yard beside the driveway. But all the brush is gone!!! This will be spread out later, but for the summer, I think I will make it a squash/pumpkin patch. I may have to throw in a few sunflowers, too!