April was a busy month!

A Wattling we will go!

Okay, April was a very busy month, per my job as well as the garden. However, I do plan to blog at least weekly (probaly more than that) to catch everyone up on all of the exciting things going on in the world of Gertie's tasteful Garden.

Let the Posting begin!

For an overview, as I mentioned earlier in my first blog, I have decided to build a wattle fence, which has become 2 wattle fences, 3 archways and 2 gates.. (so far) all made from tree debris in my front yard. I dare say I shall need a few more blades for the reciprocating saw before all is finished. You would not believe all of the things you can do to recycle a few HUGE fallen trees! http://www.alaskabg.org/Education-Learn/HowTo/WattleFence.pdf

My hope is that all of my future climbing comrads, will take to the wattle fences and bring forth a joyous gathering of green vines and leaves, complimenting the lovely grays from the tree bark, as well as the colorful scented flowers with busy insects dancing about their heads to conclude with lots of yummy things to eat.

Along with the wattle adventure, I embarked last fall on a quest for dig free, weed free lasagna garden. I began with newspapers, cardboard, yard clippings, leaves, and compost from the kitchen, and slathered my planned area with these articles as one would do to prepare lasagna. So far, the worms are extremely fat and happy, and I am still digging to plant my seedlings. I do however, think the weeds will be most unhappy with the situation thus far.

I also have begun the mapping out the gardens in my log, as well as placing out plants and seeds. I like a cottage garden approach with companions everywhere. It gives the garden a whimsical flow, leaving one to feel as though it just appeared and was meant to be there for their viewing pleasure. Planting this way also seems to keep the bugs and weeds down, and as long as there are curvy paths here and there, you can harvest to your hearts desire.

This year's really fun factor will be my "mystery" garden. This began with cleaning out my garden drawers, to discover tons of wayward seeds in the bottoms (thanks to a hungry field mouse no doubt?) I gathered these seeds and placed them in a brown paper lunch bag for further contemplation. After some consideration, I have decided to use my old garden plot from the last few years, as an experiment site. It has been dumped with all the good things for soil, such as mushroom compost, grass clippings, kitchen goodies, and paper. I plan to lightly till this concoction together, and sprinkle it with my bag of seeds . The fun will be to see how well it does, and what "fruits" will become of so little labor. Pictures will follow soon!

Again, I promise to blog more often, and with more details and links to walk you through the wonders and disappointments of Gertie's Tasteful Gardens!

Nameste! Teresa!