Today is a gorgeous day to get started in the yard!
I began by taking a hard rake to my front berm to dislodge the thatch leftover from the winter. I don’t do a fall cleanup because I want to be hospitable to the creatures that overwinter in my yard. But come spring, I start pulling things into shape. I got a large amount of dead grass which I spread in the Experimental Shade Patch on the west side of my front yard.
This is also the year I clean up my seed stores. I have a big bag of random seeds people have given me over the years and this year they’re leaving the storage box. After I hard raked, I took all of the little packages of seeds and spread them liberally on the ground. It’s going to storm and rain tomorrow, so I felt pretty good about throwing them down and wishing them good luck. I opened packets of luffa gourd and chamomile from 2018 and threw those down. All the flower seeds I got at a Mardi Gras event a while back got thrown down. If just five things sprout, I’ll consider it a win.
I also planted three Jerusalem artichokes in the front bed, thanks to my friend Channon. They are edible, but to me, the fact that they make gorgeous yellow flowers on tall stems are reason enough to have them in there. That and they spread like crazy and deer don’t seem to enjoy eating them. This is why I can’t have nice things.
I troweled up the soil in my standing bed with the imps standing in the living room window to supervise. I found lots of little seedlings clumped together in the dirt. No clue what they are, but I separated them and replanted them. It will be a surprise. I planted two rows of radishes, a rainbow mix I got at the aforementioned Mardi Gras event and Royal Purple, and a row of Tennis Ball butter lettuce while I was at it.
I started this year’s Porch Pantry with cilantro, Italian basil, Thai basil, and the parsley and chives that overwintered on my porch. Long Island Brussels sprouts went in a large, deep pot, thinking I’d try that to see if that slows down the Urban Horde’s destruction of these delicacies. I also started a pot of Siberian dwarf kale, since I like to throw a handful of kale into soups.
I took after the herb beds today as well, cleaning up dead stuff from the winter, emptying pots of things that didn’t make it, and generally bringing it into shape. Looks like the anise hyssop, comfrey, oregano, garlic chives, lemon verbena, at least rhubarb plant, and the mint made it another year! I also have a LOT of garlic I didn’t get in last year’s harvest, so this year I’ll get a bonus crop! The raspberry brambles are coming alive, and their red stems make me happy. I got the rain barrel back up on the platform and put a brick in the bottom of it to keep it upright in the spring storm season.
The deer tore down a HUGE section of the herb bed fencing, and I’ll have to repair that. I was talking to my neighbor across the street this morning and his daughter loves the deer. He asked me “do you plant all that for them?” They thought that was my goal. No. No, it isn’t. But I did have him tell his daughter to keep an eye out for fawns. When I see the fawns, I’ll make sure she’s aware. I’ve lived here 25 years this year, and I’m always enchanted by them.
I wrapped up today’s industry by filling my seed starting trays. I have them stacked up on the porch. I plan to clear out my tomato seeds this year, oldest first, and give away extra seedlings. Given the current direction the country seems to be heading, I expect that by this summer a home-grown tomato will fetch $50, so anything I can do to teach folks that gardening isn’t hard is something I can do for my community.
Tomorrow I’ll take on the raised beds, if the weather holds! Wish me luck!
The Amy Experience 
can’t wait to see what comes from the random seed toss.
you totally plant those things for the deer
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I swear if any of those things are something those eating machines won’t touch, I’m buying several thousand seeds and paving my flowerbeds with them.
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