Sexy Dirt Update

Last spring, when I started trying to amend the soil, I was so upset at how much I did when it looked like I did so little.  As I shared my woes with a local farmer about how it looked like dirt, she replied, "Yeah, but I bet it's sexy dirt."

That made me smile.  Little by little I kept adding to my uptown garden and, for the first time trying my hand at flowers, it's looking OK.  I know the bits of flower garden wouldn't exist at all if I hadn't done the digging, amending, and refilling before topping it all off with new topsoil.  

The snapdragons look lovely and the lilies and other bulbs (with the exception of the dahlias that I caught the chipmunks snacking on) are starting to pop up. The miniature roses from Trader Joe's have been loving the rain and spreading upwards.  Again, if I can keep the critters from eating my rose blossoms, they will be a colorful display of love. 

Let's just say, I'm armed with siracha sauce if I see any buds soon.

Of course, anyone who has heard about the weather in New England recently, you know we've had some unprecedented amounts of rain.  Last week we had three inches of rain in one day.  The next day we got another inch or so.  Then, after a number of humid but rainless days, we had another couple of inches.  

The upside?  I haven't had to water much and the plants are loving it big time.

The downside? Well, outside of the huge amounts of damage from things like flooding and roads being washed out in New Hampshire and Vermont, it's just wet out there.

My poor lettuce are living in mud right now and every time there is even the threat of rain, I move them off the stairs and under the overhang to keep them from drowning in their pots.

Along with the rain, the humidity makes it deceptively hot.

One day in my downtown garden, I brought my big water bottle that holds a liter of water. The intention was to do "easy" work knowing it was hot out.  I planted all my root veggies (parsnips, three or four types of carrots, a couple of types of beets) in the former three-sister box.  I tied up my cukes to keep them from running along the ground, staked some tomatoes as they're going gangbusters, and spread DE on the sage, peppers, and eggplants... not a lot, but I felt myself go sideways.  

 In spite of drinking the whole thing in the 30-40 minutes I was there, the sun and heat got to me.  Now when I get whumped up the head by a cosmic clue by four, I notice.  Ignoring everything else I wanted to do, I headed back home.  I made it to the shade and called my husband for a ride home.  Yes, it was only a quarter of a mile walk; however, I knew I wouldn't make it.  He was running errands and almost home, so he got me back to the house and into some AC. I ate some crackers, drank a lot more water, and got my legs back.  After a shower, I felt a million times better but was careful for the next couple of days.

I am excited that I should have some peas this week as I noticed the flowers have been stretching into pods.  The beans are really starting to come into their own and climb up the poles.  I don't know how much taller the peas will get, it's late in the season for them, so I may be pulling them soon for another round of beans before I start a new round of peas for the fall.

Something I'm not excited about?  After a couple more days of rain, I know there are weeds waiting for me.  *sigh* While the battle never ends, at least I have some things to be excited about now.