Late last fall we spread a layer of compost on top of all the garden beds. As anxious as I've been to start working in them, I wanted to use our tiller to mix in the compost and prepare the soil first. I knew this wasn't going to happen until my little Mantis tiller was ready to go. And, unfortunately, for the past two weeks, it's been very not ready to go. Rather, it's been lounging on the workbench in the garage waiting for a repair part to come. Nothing too serious, but it wasn't going to run without it. (Come to think of it, I guess that does make it pretty serious.)
We finally received the awaited package late last week and yesterday after a little bit of puttering (on Roy's part) and sputtering (on the tiller's part), the Under Gardener announced the tiller was ready for duty. (A few years ago, a British friend gave us two mugs for tea. One says "Head Gardener" and the other "Under Gardener." So those have been our respective titles since then.)
After finishing his repair job, Roy told me to let him know when the beds were ready for tilling, and he'd turn under the layer of compost. Didn't take more than that to spur me into action. I immediately ran for my spading fork, flew into the garden, turned over a couple of forkfuls in four or five beds and, lo and behold, announced the beds were dry enough for action.
Bless his heart, my dear husband went right to work and got about half the beds tilled up.
Look at that lovely, friable soil. I am so anxious to get out there and plant some seeds! Now I just have to be patient and let our temperatures warm up a bit more so that I don't get frostbite while doing it.
4 comments:
"A few years ago, a British friend gave us two mugs for tea."
Excuse me? How 'bout 'A few years ago, our daughter & son-in-law gave us . . . ?"
Chicken Mama - Uh, one of us is suffering from a 'senior moment' . . . and it's not the one who's 28 years older than the other! Wanna see the copy of the 'thank you' note I wrote to P in my correspondence file?
It is still too cool here too in NE WA state. I don't have room to start things ahead of time. I would love that.
Hi, Lea - Yesterday was our very first really nice, almost-warm day here. (Looks like rain today :o(.) Glad to say my seedlings inside are growing by leaps and bounds, but I don't have the ideal set-up either. They are on a table (under full-spectrum lights) in an unfinished room that will become my new kitchen this summer . . . I hope!
Hang in there, spring WILL come. Thanks for stopping by.
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