Friday, March 19, 2010

Darn good dirt


Yesterday was another lovely day. I did morning chores then had a long lunch with friends. But around 3:30 (like I said, a loooong lunch :-D), I found myself out in the back again, looking for something to 'putter'. I wandered toward the asparagus bed. Oh good grief! It was just chock full of weeds. Drat.

I really dislike weeding, and I mulch wherever I can to help control that, but I've not found the right mulch for the 8x8 foot raised asparagus bed yet. *sigh* Man, there were lots of the low-growing kind that mat up and spread flat. Oh well, up and in I went. I started pulling.

They came right up. Even the tough ones (like dandelions and tree seedlings) yielded to just the slightest persuasion from my trowel. The soil was so crumbly, so friable that I could practically dig with my fingers. It was dark and rich and looked like chocolate cake. And the scent -- oh my gosh, just heady with humus and earthworms and a little vinegar tang from last year's leaves. If I were a worm I'd be chowing down by the handfuls for sure! And worms that didn't live here would be calling in for take out...

I love this time of year when the soil isn't frozen and isn't baked. It isn't dry and it's not soggy. It's just perfect!

OK. After I weeded the bed yesterday, I topped it off with a big dose of Preen to help prevent new weed seeds from germinating. Now today I'm thinking it might be just the time to tease up the beds in the vegetable garden. Earlier this morning I had meandered over there with my coffee and peeked under the leaf mulch. The worms peeked back. Oh yeah. It's a plan.

Dirt - a gardens best friend. :-D

2 comments:

  1. I wish I had more areas with soil like that :(

    Listen to me....wishing for better dirt! Only a gardener :P

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  2. Hi Kyna - I hear you. It's taken 7 years for that bed to get soil like that. When I bought the house it was just a sand box. Years of compost, leaf litter and decomposed wood chips has finally paid off. I can hardly wait for this year's crop. Grilled asparagus... Yum!

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