Early Preparations

 So this year I have rototilled early.... WAY early.  Last year I believe I rototilled the first week of June, so I would be a month early.  I've already started my Zima tomatoes in February and next week I'll start putting them outside to harden them off.

Today I finished pulling out any final weeds that I could find in the garden and decided to rototill before it rains tomorrow.  I cleaned up the strawberries and blueberries as well as any quack grass that was growing along the fence.   [I don't know if I mentioned in my posts from past years that my neighbour covered parts of her lawn (quack grass) with carpet - quack grass can travel up to 15 feet easily when covered so I'm always picking out quack grass along the side of the fence - righthand side of the photos below).]

I spread the CIL Sheep/Cow Manure and Peat Moss (3.8 cubic feet).    I do this annually because it just enriches the soil naturally and the plants (and unfortunately the weeds) do much better.   It keeps the top soil...well, as nice black top soil.   😀

After spreading the smelly manure, I then topped it off with the peat moss and then got the rototiller going.   First going north and south on my garden, then east to west.    After years of being after quack grass and dandelions, this year I don't seem to have nearly as many; it could be because I've rototilled early and not everything has had the chance to come up.  When rototilling normally I see roots from quack grass and dandelions but only a few this year - not like other years where I had weeded a good garbage bag full and then more on top of that after rototilling.

I will rake it but perhaps tomorrow.   I have to pace myself.   Raking is a tough one for me as it is a motion where there is a twist and pull and this displaces a couple of lower ribs from my back.  So maybe in a couple days after the rain has dried up I will gently rake to see if there are any roots that I missed.

I feel so happy that the rototilling is done the earliest that I've ever done it in all the years that I've gardened.   YAY!!!!

Top Photo =Soil Amendments (Manure & Peat Moss on top)
2nd Photo = Rototilling North/South
3rd Photo = Rototilling East/West

And so it begins...

Spring is here and it's time to start to prepare the organic garden.

Last year, I didn't tear up the grass that accumulated at the side of the garden where I normally step.   So on April 24th for a few hours, on hands and knees I was able to pull out all of the grass that grew.  I had to pull the roots.  It all fit along with raking half of my front lawn fit into my  garden waste bin but hopefully it is not too much.   I still need to rake the boulevard but that will be for next week's garbage pickup.

Weeding   - This was about 12' of grass that I was able to take out.

   

So with the first weeding completed, I knew that I can likely start to rototill in the next few days, almost three weeks early.    To that end I picked up a large bail of peat moss and three bags of cow and sheep manure.

I noticed that my garlic is already sprouted 

Garlic

Also today I took a photo of the flowerbed that is sprouting, tulips, peonies, irises, and lillies.  Tulips should be blooming within the next week but I had planted a variety pack.   It looks a little odd as some are already popping up before others.  I did a solid block of tulips and with a few spares I put them by the lillies and peonies.  It just looks very odd.  I don't know if I will do a variety pack again as I think they definitely come up and bloom at different times.  I guess I will see what will happen.

Back Flower Bed
Tulips
Peonies = red circles
Irises = purple circles
Lilies = yellow circles

I do have other flowers coming up but not really much to see yet.

Two days ago I had planted some hollyhocks, poppies and bluebells.   We'll see if any of them come up.