Preparing for May Flowers

Yesterday was a fairly uneventful day at the Stoddart Avenue Community Garden.   We got so much work done last week that this week was a little more laid back.  Because of the heavy rain last Sunday and Monday, the focus of this week was on weeding and mowing.  Frank and Barb mowed our lot and the two Block Watch lots where the grass and dandelions had gotten a bit shaggy.  They had so much to mow that they used up the charge on their electric mower and the gas in the Tool Library mower and still had a bit left to finish today. (Doug from Urban Connections stopped by to offer assistance from our own mower).  I weeded my plot, the herb garden and our three flower beds (which was made much easier because Cassie and Mari had already substantially weeded the front flower beds in the past week).  I was amazed out how deep the roots already were for those pernicious morning glory weeds that reside throughout the SACG.    Two of our compost bins are almost full from the weeds we have been pulling and the third bin has a nice pile.

Because we are not predicted to receive much, if any, rain in the next week, Antoinette, Rose, Tom and Sabrina watered our roses, berries, neighbor plot, and fruit trees. I watered my plot and the food pantry plot. 

Sabrina picked up a flat of peppers, a small bag of onions from this week’s GCGC meeting and a six-pack of yellow pansies.  With the six-pack of purple pansies that I had left over from my own yard, she planted pansies in our two large flower pots.  I planted a flat of perennials (from DeMonye’s perennial sale last month) in our new southwest flower bed and in the front flower beds. The seedlings included butterfly bush, Shasta daisies, coreopsis, lavender, asters, and salvia.  I also planted some Shasta daisy and poppy seeds for good measure.  Because it was almost after 2 and our extensive collection of early/weed daisies are about to pop, I decided to hold off on planting cosmos and sunflowers until after the daisies start to die back.   

Sabrina also weeded her plot and the paths. Tom and Zephyr planted onions in our second food pantry plot.   Antoinette, her niece Eternity, and cousin Michael planted cabbage, greens, broccoli, onions and carrots in her raised bed.  (Kristin, Gio, Tyrese and Chimera already planted some leeks, kale and cabbage in their raised beds on Tuesday evening).

Mari and Charlie stopped by to tend and water their plots.  Neal had laid landscaping fabric in his plot earlier in the week. He came back to plant two rows of corn and some leeks.  We had a discussion about whether to water new seeds or wait for Mother Nature to do it.   There is also the continuing discussion about when to start planting tender vegetables (like tomatoes and peppers).  I tend to opt for later in May, but Charlie decided to test that hypothesis by planting one pepper plant as a test plant.  Neal is eager to get started.

I returned home and continued my regular chore of watering the half-dozen flats of seedlings I’ve started.  While it is mostly tomatoes, there are also peppers, eggplants and some squashes, basil and cucumbers.  Then, I transplanted a number of tomatoes into larger containers because their roots keep outgrowing the current home.  While I love cool nights for a good night's sleep, I’m a little anxious for the nights to consistently stay above fifty-five degrees so that I can plant and distribute all of these seedings, pack away my mini-greenhouse  and regain use of my patio.

Lastly, I almost used some of our spearmint to make a mint julep in honor of Derby Day.   What else am I going to do with all of that spearmint and the rest of my Wild Turkey?  Cassie hacked a lot of it out of our front flower bed last week because it had  -- as mint likes to do – taken over a great piece of the southeast flower bed and had started to choke out other flowers.  (Rest assured, there is still some mint there).   The chocolate mint in my plot (and Joey’s old plot) has begun reasserting itself as well.  Sabrina was happy to take some of that home for her own herb garden.

I’m not sure what we will be focusing on – if anything – next Saturday.  Currently, it is predicted to be raining and still too cool to plant tomatoes and peppers.   I think I will be watching youth soccer in Dublin instead of spending another four hours at the Garden.