We’ve been really busy working on the outside of the property. Sorry, no pictures to share, yet. Back in January the USDA Soil Conservation group sent out flyers offering seedlings of various trees and shrubs for a ridiculous price…I think tree seedings were around $1 and shrubs were maybe $3. Anyway…we spend about $75 and ordered 50 tree seedlings (25 Spruce and 25 Poplar) as well as 3 Lilacs and 3 Honeysuckles.
Our order arrived in May. The trees were strategically placed to hopefully keep the snow drifts down to a manageable level (when they are grown). The lilac and honeysuckle were planted in the front of the house around the deck.
We did start our garden. I started months ago by sprouting lots of vegies here in the house. We finally transferred them to the ground outside and they aren’t doing as well as the trees and shrubs.
I’m noticing that our soil has a very clay like consistency. When it’s wet it is exactly like clay and when it dries it’s more like concrete. I joke that it would be perfect for making adobe bricks and building our garage! I’m thinking that for next year’s garden we are going to have to haul in some steer manure and some topsoil and really put the tractors and tillers to work combining it with the existing soil so we actually have something we can grow in.
While I am disappointed that my garden isn’t going completely as planned, I am living and learning. Now if only of some of the flower bulbs I planted would start coming up, but like I said, it’s like trying to come up through concrete.
Filed under: Gardening
