I'm linking up to Funky Junk Interiors Gitter Done Volume 2 party. I hinted that this was an outdoor project that wasn't glamorous, but necessary. It is broken into two parts.
Part 1
Ooooh...my aching...everything. My Gitter Done project was the garden. Actually the garden itself wasn't too bad. It's the raspberry patch that about did me in. Thought they'd have to dig a 6 foot hole right there under the raspberries. It had become a little...ahem...overgrown. This project has taken several hours of several days!
We pause this program for a commercial break. Please note the very cool barrel, on a stand, in the background of this last picture (never mind the weeds). It is a rotating composter, manufactured by ComposTumbler. It retails for well over $500...and it is not mine. My neighbor lent it to me for the summer...can you BELIEVE it??? Sorry, didn't mean to shout, but it is so awesome! It makes compost in 14 days. You do have to give it two turns once everyday, which is why she is not using it this year. I have no problem with that. It produces black gold! In one more week, I will have my first batch of lovely compost. Okay...only a gardener can appreciate my excitement, but I had to share.
Now back to our regularly schedueled program. Where were we...oh yes...the raspberry patch was seriously overgrown. I just haven't had time to tackle it until now. When I had time, it was always raining. In fact I had to race a thunderstorm the first day I worked on it. It was a tie...I got half the patch weeded before the storm hit. It wasn't much of a storm...kind of blew past us...with just a little rain. But I realized that I'd better quit for the day if I didn't want to be 6 feet under!
Let me tell you it was a jungle in there! I spent about 3 hours just in the raspberries and only made it about half way down the row. I was so well hidden that my son rode past me on his mini bike and didn't even see me.
I sat on my tush on a little cushion and scooted along, yanking weeds left and right. This is what surrounded me:
I repeat...it was a jungle in there! I also weeded the carrots.
Before weeding
After weeding
My husband tilled between the rows. He also tilled the corner of the garden where I had thrown some old flower seeds. Nothing came up, so it's going into cover crop...or maybe we will just keep tilling the weeds under ;)
Here are some more after shots of the garden:
Part 2
"Take that you animal!" "I will destroy you!" "Give it up now...cause you're going down!"
Anyone who might have walked up my driveway, would have probably backed away quickly and called the police. Not to worry...it was just me tackling this overgrown mess:
These are weeds to me. I do not like the color orange (my sincere apologies to orange lovers). So why do I have these orange lilies? And why such a lot of them? I can't even remember where I got them, but I thought they were yellow lilies when I planted them. When they bloomed orange, I had good intentions of digging them out, but never quite got around to it. They. took. over.
Can I just say, if you don't like a flower, and it spreads rather quickly, just dig it out now...or you will regret it! Oh my what a job. After digging all that out, the soil was still full of root fragments and tubers. I had to use my soil sifter to sift out all of that, or the darn things would just grow back. I made the sifter myself, but I'll show you that in a later post.
If your squeamish you might not want to look at the next pictures.
The Carnage
After tackling this mess I needed a shower badly. I was covered in dirt, hot and sweaty.
Oooooh...A shower never felt so good!
{wild applause!!} Oh I sooo get it! Gardening is hard work and you did a tremendous amount! And that is one massive garden and yard you indeed have! Guess I should quit complaining about my cracker jack sized plot of land. Wow.
ReplyDeleteBet you are LOVING the yard now. Nicely done. :)
Donna
Deborah Lynn... you got it going on!! What a "gitter done" project! Enjoyed your post... made me laugh!! Looks fab... and I agree... not to fond of the orange lilies!
ReplyDeleteI am doing similar weeding but I am not recording my efforts...I am not sure that is good or bad!!
ReplyDeleteI so agree with you--there's a huge difference between yellow and orange. Golds are actually orange so why do nurseries label them as yellow???
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog!! You have a new follower now, too!! I love those tiger lillys and wished you could have sent them to me!! I need them to choke out weeds along our driveway!
ReplyDeleteYour garden looks great and mine, well...not so much. No weeds but no bumper crop either!
What a cute post, and a beautiful garden. I love a day of gardening!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE your LARGE garden. And am kinda jealous. Not for the weeding part, of course. Just the rewards that you reap!!!!
ReplyDeleteWe haven't weeded YET this season. Do you feel any better???
I better get started. Block party tomorrow!!!!
Great job! Loved your dirty foot!!!!
First time here from FJI!!!
~Kolein
Just stopping by to say hi from Tea Party! Thank you so much for your sweet words and yes, I agree, family time comes before blogging :)What a great family you have!!
ReplyDeleteWow! You really got a lot accomplished. Your garden looks wonderful. I know how it feels to be "bothered" by plants that are just not you. Best to get rid of them and move on. You could also always pass them on to a friend who like them.
ReplyDeleteLovely blog here...nice to meet you!
ReplyDeleteJust had to stop by and let you know that I gave you a Sunshine Award on my blog today! I have been enjoying your new blog and friendship!!!
ReplyDeleteThe plants should be arriving any day! Hope you get your check today too!!
WOW! Nice job! The garden looks great too!
ReplyDelete