diggin in the dirt

taking apart an iris garden, getting some of the sow thistle out of there, in mostly clay and somewhat of a low spot of course...

most of the irises will be moved to a new place that has sandy loam, just not quite as much sun as i'd like, but we'll have to see how they do.

the existing garden will be turned into veggies for a few years so we can keep an eye out for the sow thistle trying to return from bits of root that we miss this time around.

most of it will need to be double dug again in the spring to make sure we didn't miss too much. that will also give me a chance to get some more organic materials buried in there for the worms to feast upon and some wood ashes to help break up the soil some more. it could take a few truckloads of each...

so far we've had a lot of fun with this project. i say that slightly sarcastically, because i would have liked to have smothered the whole area for a few years and that would have avoided the past fair number of days digging (and a few more yet to go before we are finished), but Ma would not do that.

i guess the good part of not smothering it is that i get a new garden next spring (likely for beans), garlic and onions will likely go in the following season. my hand is a little sore, but otherwise holding up. today is a day of rest, i'm not playing in the clay after it rained last night and this morning. will check it out tomorrow and see how it looks, plays...

as we have been working along pulling up clumps of dirt, weeds, irises, we notice how the irises are growing and how they spread and die back, with each rhizome having it's own worm or two to keep tidied up. in the wetter parts the iris actually rots on the bottom and the top just skims along until it reaches a more suitable spot to root. the sow thistle roots are real challenges to get out of there because if you whack a clod of clay thinking it will let go of the root, it might, but it might also shatter it into multiple pieces (each likely viable). going through the piles, breaking apart all the clods does take some time, that is for sure. two more days, i can see the light at the end of the tunnel on this project... *whew!* i think, now, though, is a good time for a nap...

songbird

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songbird
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finished it up yesterday just before the light faded. today is rainy with a chance of a few snow flakes later on.

Ma pulled the beets and wanted to do them today, but i told her it was my day off to rest and recooperate, my hand is a little sore and the rest of me is too, so i much prefer to sit back and contemplate the world for a while and tinker with other things instead.

the height of ambition today may reach bean sorting, but then again, likely not...

songbird

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songbird

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