Back to the garden

About mid-April, our unofficial community garden got up and running for the season again with a celebratory and planning barbeque. Jennifer & Christopher, Andy & Yuko (and their sweet little Amelie, brand new as of January), and Ben are back - and of course our neighbor Shiv, who continues to expand his garden space anywhere he can. Andy and Yuko, in addition to Amelie, brought with them Amber & Ilan, who quickly readied their space, got seeds in the ground, repurposed some leftovers from last year (red lettuce and several types of onions), and eagerly helped out with other yard and garden chores. What an awesome group we have!

The pictures above and below (other than grape vines) are from that first April gathering. Jen has the distinction of getting the first tomato start into the ground.

A lot of work was accomplished today. Jennifer cleaned up the strawberry patch; if how much they've spread is an indication of how many berries we'll have, we should have quite a harvest. Forrest mowed the several-feet-high lawn behind the house, and I tackled much of the front sections where herbs, bulbs, and various perennials are mixed in with the dandelions, grass, and extensive unnamed weeds. Christopher and Ilan stepped in and helped all around the back, wherever more work was needed; the big accomplishment was clearing the "shared" patch that last year had squash, cucumbers, and volunteer tomatoes. It's now ready to plant, although we never really did talk about a plan for that spot. More of the same? Maybe Forrest can plant some peanuts there! Forrest and Christopher are both Georgia natives (and Jen spent a good amount of time there)... if we had success, we'd have some happy planters. Otherwise, Forrest and I will have one of the raised beds this year, which is now weed-free and ready to plant.

The degree to which the grass has grown - exponentially! - and filled in all the areas we cleared last year continues to befuddle me. And this year, we have wee Maples sprouting in every part of the yard. The good news - just one morning glory vine so far, and only two blackberry shoots. Whew. Perhaps those battles are won - for now.