Top Dressing Gardens with Compost - by Sunscape

in voilk •  3 months ago

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    After receiving 7 yards of leaf compost, it was time to top dress all the garden beds. I had already put down horse manure in late February to let it break down, I like to do that before I plant all the seedlings from the greenhouse.

    The raspberries are leafing out nicely and that bed has been fertilized and composted. I thinned out the plants last season and shared them with my cousin. Now it will be easier to pick berries and I should have a nice harvest this year.

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    The candytuft draping over the rocks looks nice with the fresh layer of compost. It really stands out now that everything is spruced up.

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    The scallions I planted are standing up nice and strong and the garlic is too.

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    I planted the garlic last November along the fencing where I grow the cucumbers and tomatoes. Once they are harvested I can plant a row of beans or beets. I am never sure of which one I will plant until I do. I am not as organized as Pam @goldenoakfarm she is a master at planning the layout of her gardens. ;-)

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    As you can see, I don't have one particular spot for garlic. I tend to scatter it all around to help deter the deer from eating my plants.

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    The peonies are all up and setting buds. I have a nice variety of different ones that I will share once they bloom. This is another area that was top dressed this week in between the rainy days.

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    This is the area around my porch and pond. It rained hard for three straight days flooding everything. The water was over the top of the rocks and caused the liner of the pond to shift. The water literally got underneath the liner pushing it upwards, this in turn pushed the water out of the pond.

    Even the lawn has an inch of water on top of the grass. It took days for it to finally soak all in. By then, it needed cutting so the lawn mover had its spring debut.

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    Once this bed was topped I planted a few of the Buttercrunch lettuce and some Cilantro seedlings underneath one of the Lilac trees. The tree offers shade from the afternoon sun and keeps the plants cooler.

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    The back bank needed freshening up this year. My husband went and purchased 30 bags of large pine bark nuggets. This area is only landscaped and is underlined with a heavy black fabric.

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    Topping it with the nuggets prevents seeds from germinating. I never put compost in this area just for that reason. It is one less garden that needs weeding, which simplifies life.

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    Mika was a constant companion during the entire process. Of course, she also wanted to play off and on. The day is always about her!

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    Playtime is a must and a good excuse to take a break now and then. Next week, I am certain I will be able to plant a few more seedlings out after this cold snap passes. Happy Gardening Everyone!

    Until next time, this is Sunscape
    Sun. Scape. Ing Your Day

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