What did you do this weekend?

While my weekend was full with the usually cleaning, laundry and preparing lunches and breakfasts for the work week, I did get to work in the garden. Saturday’s weather was in the 60s with a brisk wind perfect for hanging out the laundry. I have actually been able to hang the laundry out most weeks since mid-March.

I started to weed the gardens and stone paths. I try not to use herbicides in my yard. I keep the weeds down in the gardens by just weeding and mulching. The stone paths weaving through the gardens I weed. Another technique to keep the weeds down is to boil your dish water and throw it over the stones. I do occasionally use herbicide on thistles, dandelions and creeping Charlie. I brought a dandelion and thistle weed puller but it does not work very well. When I am done my yard is full of holes and the weeds usually return. Using the tool makes it harder to pull the weeds out the second time because of the holes created from using it.

Sunday, I did more weeding in the stone paths; three fourths of the job is done. I spent time rototilling the herb garden. If you go to the Garden Design, the herb garden is the large garden behind the patio on the right side. I transplanted parsley and some Swiss chard that survived the winter. I also dug up my rhubarb since I wanted to move it. The rhubarb never did well when I transplanted here from the last place I lived. The plant would produce some leaves but they would die and never grow large. When I pulled the plants from the ground I found that they had crown rot. I did some research last year trying to find the problem and crown rot fit the description. The only thing to do is throw the plants out and start over with new one. I prefer Canadian Red Rhubarb; I can only hope the nursery's bare root section still has some.

I start sifting the compost piles and got two wheel barrows from it so far. I spread one wheelbarrow over the north side raised bed that I will be planting Monday. I did plant the middle raised bed on April 4 with pea pods, black Spanish radishes, breakfast radishes, Spinach, Detroit Red Beets, Dragon Carrot and Nantes Carrots. All the seeds germinated and I cannot wait until I get to start eating them. The raised bed to the north, I will be planted with yellow pea pods, Giant German Radishes, mustard greens, more carrots and beet.

I hope your weekend was just as productive.