Blue Ridge Gardener

I had a little time this afternoon in the yard/garden. It was another one of those days that make you feel alive.  Warm, sunny, slight breeze–a picture of this day could be found in the dictionary next to the word “beautiful.”

Today’s projects-

Wildflower bed in the front yard- The yard is on a slight slope and the water flow sends rainwater to one corner of the house.  A french drain would take care of the situation, but would be seriously expensive to lay a drain under the driveway and could possibly flood the neighbor’s garden beds.  So we put in a bed that will move water to the other side.  We wanted to have flowers to attract hummingbirds and butterflies, so we bought a wildflower mix with 16 varieties of flowers.

After planting the seed, we have attracted a whole host of birds that would like to eat the seed.  We’ll see how much they leave to sprout.

Small herb bed- I have prepared a small 2′ x 4′ bed that will have herbs in it this summer.  It is right off the driveway and will remind us as we come in each day that there are plenty of edibles in the yard. Plus, it will be another rainwater diverter.

Plowed under the cover crops- I plan to plant a few things next week that need some of the other spaces in the garden.  I plowed under the cover crop and it will be ready for planting after some more rototilling a week to ten days from now.  Some of the garden was still damp from yesterday’s “flood”, but not as bad as I thought.

Seedlings are up and doing well in the Square Foot beds- Even after the warm, windy day yesterday, most of the transplants and small seedlings are doing very well.  I suspect that most will survive to produce vegetables.  There will be plenty of thinning to do in those beds since germination appears to be over 90%.

It has been about 6 days since I cut the grass last Saturday (and about 13 days since fertilizing) and my lawn is lush, green, and needs cutting again.  Neither of my neighbors has gotten around to the chore, and they have yards fit for hay now.

So I have set aside time tomorrow to get out and trim the grass to 3 inches, and watch the grass flourish after Spring rains.

Here are a few hints from the Old Farmer’s Almanac:

• The more you let nature do the work for you, the easier it will be to care for your lawn.
• These tips could help you improve your relationship with your lawn:
• Excess water leaches away nutrients and encourages insects. Deep waterings at irregular intervals are better for the lawn than frequent light waterings.
• Let some weeds grow in that expanse of green. A slightly wild lawn lets volunteer grasses, wildflowers, herbs, and even wild strawberries grow, adding color and variety to your landscape.
• The higher grass grows, the slower it grows. Adjust your mower blades to cut grass at two to three inches instead of 1-1/2 inches to save time, money, and water. Turf clipped at heights greater than two inches develops the largest, most extensive root system.
• Leave clippings on the lawn to filter down to the soil, decompose, and recycle nutrients back to the roots. Look into the new “mulching mowers” that recycle clippings back onto the lawn.
• During a drought, let the grass grow longer between mowings, and reduce fertilizer.