spring green 

         spring green is one of the many shades of green ohio offers up for us to see in a years time. and this shade is usually the one i want to see the most. this is our first green as it is full of life after a winters nap. eager to burst forth. and this year with abandon as these early warm days are giving the grass the gusto it needs. so far i have seen no alarming trends to allow a freeze , and it is still a possibility into may up to the tenth is generally the recognized last frost free date. 

       still thoughts to the garden and preparing the soil is in order. i prepared an original garden and it was farmed by my cousins last year. i also prepared a raised bed garden outside my house and up in to the hill. using the hill as up side of the bed . the other side closed in by boards and 2x12 planks about 20 foot long. this served as the lower side . i added pea gravel to the base and then a mixture of soil and compost to the boxes to bring the soil level 

         the soil is a mix of organics in the form of composted manure. natural top soil, and sand , and  this over a bed of pea  gravel for drainage. a raised bed can be built anywhere in the city or it could be around your gazebo in place of flowers. you create the bed and its mix to your desired wants. companion cropping  with flowers and plants may help keep rodents away from your plants. i really believe people will have their own garden to tend once they realize they just need to grow their own food.     

           the major consideration here is the back saving  advantage this set up offers. i can find me a small board to lay in the bed at different points to assist in weeding. this allows me to sit or kneel alongside the bed and is easier on my back than standing and reaching over to my shoes or squatting in a conventional garden. sitting at this point in my life isn't much of an option as if i was to sit on ground, would be hard to return to my feet . 

         i companion crop and closely . choosing to not leave in rows but maximize the space and reduce weeding by planting heavier. don't leave no room for weeds to grow. you can always take plants out if you have to as simply as weeding them . or you can transplant to a pot or to another location in garden . 

       also to assist in weeding i used a straw mulch, fairly heavy  with a 3 inch mashed thickness to eliminate or reduce weeding where i could. . this worked excellent , maintaining a moist soil profile immediately adjacent to the mulch, this helps in drought time to reduce water needs assuring that as little as possible moisture is lost to evaporation and the plant has all the water it needs to maintain robust growth. intend to incorporate straw mulch in other areas where i have been weed-eating. my goal is to use nothing but the riding mower to do all. from a green standpoint and from a myself standpoint. i could do with a lot less weed-eater. 

      in planting tomatoes on a raised bed it was easy and nice, i  just used straw and let the vines go. this worked ok till they went over the edge  and were headed out through the yard.

        the straw when it was underneath a tomato helped prevent some of the problems of bugs and bad spots associated with tomatoes directly on the ground. 

       still this year i intend to grow the tomatoes on stakes and still mulch between plants. maybe also install drip irrigation , as necessary to provide a more efficient means of watering the plants. 

      another thing i intend to do is plant some more apple trees and a lot more pines ,  as i want to again reduce the amount of weed eating and mowing in the yard. i usually take the pampas grass about this time of year and cut the top off down to the green shoots. some perfectionists would say i am to late to do this. 

       i would have to say this is generally the time most people do it. and still needs done. instead of carting the grass off , i have been placing by the base of the pampas and it slows down growth from weeds or grass and makes trimming easier. again it is good for maintaining soil moisture. and if pampas grass isn't enough then this may be a case for straw to be used as mulch. 

       had to install a fence so babe wouldn't be able to run back and forth and act stupid when the cows come home. she still does it but knows the garden is now off limits. and chooses to run below it like i always knew she could. 

       garlic was planted a week ago and again it should have been in last fall but is still doing great at 4 inches in one week. just hoping we don't have an early frost as this weather is fooling these trees into budding. the peach crop would be ruined as my peach trees are already in bloom. we have 3 months till the summer season starts. wonder how hot it will be then .