Guess

Guess what I did today.  Go on, guess.  

If you said "Dug up more spider lily bulbs," give yourself a cookie.  Give yourself two cookies.  And some ice cream.  You deserve it. 

That's right. I'd gotten up and gone to Walmart to do my weekly shopping.  While I was there, I picked up two more bags of that garden soil on clearance, and I'd thought maybe after I'd come home, I'd go out and start filling the raised beds in my garden spot.  I think I have enough dirt to get one of them filled up, so that's what I wanted to do if I had time before the ball games started.  

Even if I didn't, I still needed to go put all of my gardening tools back under cover before tonight's storms come through.  Alas, while I was out there piddling in my dirt, I discovered, yes, even more spider lilies coming up.  I grabbed my shovel and dug them out, fussing all the while about that sorry son of a gun who'd cheated me.  His mother must be so proud.  

Anyway, I had an idea while I was in the store paying for dirt.  What would happen if I mixed some of that red clay into my garden soil?  Not a lot, maybe 10%.  It would save me a little bit of money, and I don't think that would be enough to negatively affect plant growth, especially if I kept it in the bottom half of the raised beds.  It would all be sifted, of course, to get the rocks and garbage out of it before I put it into my beds.  Any experienced gardeners care to weigh in? 

On a similar note, the bulbs I thinned and replanted yesterday have already perked up a bit.  

I expect they'll perk up even more once that rain moves through later on this evening.   Then, when it's dried out a bit, I'll get the roto-tiller out and go over the garden spot again a time or two, to level it all back out after digging giant holes in it.  The good news is, none of this digging or roto-tilling should interfere with the two beds I've already put into place.  

I was thinking, I'd kind of like to get those beds filled and the herbs I already have moved into them as soon as possible so they can get kind of settled before the first frost comes though.  I mean, they're all perennials, so it shouldn't matter too much, but I'd like to give them time to get over any transplant shock before then.  

Or maybe it'll be better to wait until they die back for the year.  I don't know.  What I do know is that if they do die, I can always buy more and put them directly into the beds and let them go to town.  So to speak.  I'd kind of freak out if I saw plants really going into town...

So, what is on the list to plant in my new garden beds?  Right now, I've got some lemon balm and rosemary for sure.  They both make great tea, plus Cody loves to cook with them.  I've also got a Greek oregano plant, one sage plant, and a French Tarragon.  I'll have to think about what else I want to plant -- as far as herbs go, I mean.  

I'm going to also grow tomatoes, sweet banana peppers, cayennes, and maybe chili peppers.  I want to try to grow my own stevia, as well, of I can find some.  Last spring, I couldn't find any to save my soul, though Walmart had plenty last year. 

Then, of course, I want to have two pollinator gardens, one of perennials, and one of annuals.  And I would love to have a trellis of muscadines, as sort of an entrance to my little fairy land.  

And you will all get to come on this journey with me.  But it's not going to happen all at once.  This is a multi-year project, and I'm thinking maybe after I retire, I can sell bundles of fresh herbs in the local Farmer's Market.  

Right now, however, I've got to get off of here so I can use my computer to watch football.  While knitting.  

Laters.