Warm weather makes it happen

The other day when the temperature reached 82ºF (28ºC) I knew I had to take advantage of it and get something done in the garden. But what? Where to start? Actually, the answer was pretty easy: the veggie garden!

These raised beds, fenced to keep the herbivores out, sat fallow and unused all of last year. I suppose "unused" is the wrong word though, since Nature used it to grow whatever it wanted to.

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What it wanted to grow seemed to be pokeweed (Phytolacca americana), and snakeroot (Ageratina altissima), and catnip (Nepeta cataria), and dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum), with some Euonymous (Euonymus fortunei), garlic chives (Allium tuberosum), and bamboo (Pleioblastus fortunei). I'm sure there are some others mixed in there too, but those were the ones that I recognized from their winter remnants.

Pokeweed stems (like those of castor beans) look so wooden and strong when dry, but they easily crack and splinter. The mighty gardener splinters the hefty stalks so effortlessly.

I didn't take any "during" photos, as this sort of thing is more impressive if you just see the before and after shots.

I was only able to clean out the front sides and the planting beds, and I removed the old fence and several of the poles. There's still much to do -- including taking out the thick saplings growing along the back side -- but I'm so pleased to have this space available again!

Plus look at all of that extra room! The raised beds were placed too close to the old fence -- the new fence was moved at least 12" (30cm) further away. Maybe I'll put my rhubarb here?

I'm hoping to plant some cool-weather edibles soon. I have to finish that fence first though -- I wonder if there are any more 80-degree days in the forecast?


It was actually a little too warm out there, even for a t-shirt and shorts. I wasn't ready for "summer" gardening yet!

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