Garden weekend

Spring is here! Time to plant lettuce and peas!

But.... the garden is a hot mess because last year I was growing this little guy and was too huge to do anything.

Luckily, the weather was absolutely beautiful this weekend.  The oldest and I got into the spring side of the garden, totally cleaned it up, turned over some ground and started planting.

Before.

During.

We removed the fence, squared up the plot and hoed the weeds out.  Delivered wheelbarrows of them to ecstatic geese.  He fed every worm we found to the peeps. We strung string and marked off a row on the left for herbs, lettuce and potatoes.  A row in the center for peas and a row on the right for the permanent rhubarb and asparagus beds.  I'm not even going to attempt weeding this year, rather we left wide enough spaces in between the planted rows that my husband or I can just run a push mower through it.  

Cutting sumac for the pea trellis.  This is such a wonderful age.  He's old enough to help for real now (Please carry this stick to the pile. How many do we have now? Can you help carry them to the garden?) and he loves it.  When we came inside for a drink break he asked, totally unprompted, "Mom, am I a farmer?" "Well honey, you take care of the chickens and raise food for our family to eat so yes."  

This little guy was hiding under a brick.  I think it's a Redback Salamander? 

After.

So I still need to pick some things up in this picture but I'm thrilled and somewhat amazed at the amount of work we got done.  In addition to cleaning up the place we planted a new variety of rhubarb (Red Canadian) transplanted the goji bush, built and planted a pea trellis, planted greens (a mix of lettuces, kale and chard seeds that he measured out and stirred)  This week I'd like to plant potatoes, shallots and parsley out there.  We also need to start seeds in the house.