My intention was to do some garden prepping and planting last Monday and Tuesday, finishing up on Wednesday as needed. But Monday and Tuesday were very wet and rainy, so I ended up doing all of the tasks on Wednesday. I hired a neighbor girl to help smooth out the soil, and then we spread out some narrower landscaping cloth along two edges of the garden (to help reduce tilling and hand-weeding), and two larger pieces in which to plant all the squash and cucumbers.
For the first time in many years, I was able to enjoy the aroma of lilacs while working in the garden! I planted these in the fall of 2017 and they finally got around to blooming. I see my grand-dog photo-bombed the picture. He enjoys being a free-range dog in the garden.
My hands were rather dirty so I didn't take any photos of the planting process. The next day, acting on a suggestion from my sister, I rigged up little newspaper tents to protect the smallest starts from the bright sun for a couple of days. I also planted plenty of marigolds between the squash and cucumbers. They are supposed to keep certain garden pests away, and they look pretty.
The only plants I started myself from seeds were the zucchini, the yellow crookneck squash, and the cucumbers. I decided the cucumber starts were 'way too small to plant yet, so I am keeping them on the deck for another week or so.
My husband purchased and planted 4 Stupice tomato plants, and he also planted a cherry tomato in a pot on the deck. He planted two rows of potatoes as well. We used less that half the space available in the garden, but, since he is no longer capable of working in the garden very much and I am still recovering from a winter of illness, I saw no point in planting more than I could tend. I hope to fill in any menu gaps with produce from the Farmers' Market.
All photos taken on my Android phone.
