Meanwhile, Two Weeks Later.....

So the intermittent rain and intense amount of work have kept me busy for the past couple of weeks. Big time. In the past couple of weeks, I have completed the following:

1. I have raked and pulled weeds, grass, pine cones, rocks, roots, sticks, and other various pieces of debris from about two fifths of my garden.
2. Since I have what doctors call "an inability to gauge distance, walk in a straight line, or put one foot in front of the other," I placed stakes on each end of four rows and ran kite string or twine between them to ensure that I planted straight and evenly.
   
3. I planted my first crops!!!!
4. I raked a forty pound bag of peat moss (fancy name for cow shit) into the area I will be planting my corn in a couple weeks.
   
5. I discovered that I hate weeding, raking, and anything to do with bending over for long stretches of time.
   
6. Oh, I have to either start doing some yoga, or start drinking enough beer to convince myself that I don't ache all over. Any guesses as to which activity I will be participating in?
   

Today I planted the earliest of my vegetables. I really should have put these in a month or so ago, but with all the rain and a 40 hour a week (sometimes-heh, heh) job, it has been impossible to finish preparing the soil for planting. From left to right, I planted twenty foot rows of lettuce, red leaf swiss chard, cabbage, and bok choi. All of these should be ready for harvest in six weeks to two months, which is just about perfect. By June 1st, I should be dining on incredible salads, succulent greens, and all the ingredients of some incredible egg rolls and potstickers.

The amount of hard, physical labor that has been involved in the past couple of weeks hasn't been too bad. I can tell you that I have had every ounce of my patience and work ethic tested, though. If i squatted down in one area, it would take me anywhere from fifteen to twenty minutes to pull up all the grass and weed roots that I could reach from that spot. Multiply that by about fifty and you've got a pretty good idea of how I spent my time lately. I'll say this for the first, and definitely not the last, time on this blog. STUPID FREAKIN' WEEDS!!!! Whew, that's better.

I now have to prepare the remaining six rows for planting. I'm planning on finishing them up in the next two weeks, and having the rest of my garden in the ground by the end of the month. Optimistic, but I really feel like I need to get my ass in gear in order to have the longest harvesting season possible.

Today's Playlist

1. Whole Wide World-Wreckless Eric
2. The '59 Sound-Gaslight Anthem
3. The Cave-Mumford and Sons
4. Adventures in Solitude-The New Pornographers
5. Adrift-Jack Johnson
6. Advice for Young Mothers To Be-The Veils
7. After All-Wyclef Jean
8. Ain't No Easy Way-Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
9. Coma Girl-Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros
10. The Girl-City and Colour
11. Hang Me Up To Dry-Cold War Kids
12. Furr-Blitzen Trapper
13. I Made a Resolution-Sea Wolf
14. Diplomat's Son-Vampire Weekend
15. Like the Way She Moves-Chris Isaak

Parting thought-Asparagus, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Blueberries, Strawberries and Cabbage are in season right now!!!!!!! Go get you some fresh produce wherever you can.