Sure can! Right off the bat this spring I grew a nice crop of weed seedlings, which Mom attacked with the Mantis tiller,lightly tilling the surface of the chips....will likely have to repeat that after this rainy spell~not bad as it only takes a mere few minutes to lightly scuff up those weeds in this chip. I think depositing leaves on top of the wood chips created a fine layer of decomposed matter where it shouldn't have been, allowing all these weeds a purchase place.
Lesson learned there. Will get the garden planted and start hauling chips to cover the surface of the garden once again.
A good many of the strawberries returned after being covered with chips/leaves for the winter. Looking good. The chives are blooming like crazy...very pretty. All the divides I did on those in the fall took root and are doing well. The rhubarb is looking good after I fed it some fertilizer...was looking a little yellow in the veins prior to that, as did the garlic, so there still seems to be some nitrogen leaching going on, even after 3 yrs of chips being on the soil.
I planted sugar snap peas around the perimeter of the garden so they could climb the fence....this is the very first year I've had healthy looking peas! Could be the fertilizer, could be presoaking them and getting them out early, not sure. Some of those are sweet pea flowers, so can't wait to see those blooming.
I'm planting lettuce, carrots, broccoli, and pak choy differently this year and will have them under a low tunnel....started those seeds in trays so I could get the right spacing for all these things without having to thin later. I'm using landscaping fabric, then a CP as a grid and to help anchor my arches and keep the cover cloth in place.
Only planting taters in the apple tree rings this year and some of those are already up a foot high, looking good! I have some left over taters I may plant in a container or two, but none will be planted in the garden.
Planted a lot of zinnias and marigolds in the garden and have more still to plant there. Need to get my squash, cukes, beans, pumpkins,etc. in the ground soon, though I may wait until next week or so, as we are having a real cold and wet May right now.
Got some raspberries started, a sweet lady sent me this fall...just a few survived the winter but I'm sure they will spread with time. She also sent me some garlic that is doing very well right now.
The honeysuckle over the garden gate is flourishing this year and many blooms are developing. The pink honeysuckle I planted beside it is already blooming...VERY pretty.
I moved all my tomato and bean/cuke trellising this year to new places...trying to arrange them so that none are downwind of the others, in case I get blight spores in the garden again this year. Am also putting out things later this season in an attempt to avoid them sitting there in this sopping wet garden/chip layer, cold and wet, likely victims to mold spores.
Won't be planting corn this year and will be planting less squash, pumpkin, watermelon and such. Any vines will be managed better this year so I can walk through the rows easily and keep up on weeds and bugs.
Now, I normally ask the boys not to buy gifts for birthdays or Mother's Day, but this year they asked and I told them they could buy me a Rogue scuffle hoe that will help me keep this chip garden more weed free. Sent them the link, per their request, and hope to have the edge on weeding this year.
Anyhoo....will try to get pics of things soon, just really cold and rainy right now, so hard to get into the garden and work.
I moved Aliza's little daybed out to the garden as my new garden bench....may paint it a different color, but am sooooo glad I have it out there. Now I have a place to sit my tools, my flats, my seed packets, gloves, etc. while I'm working in there. Love it!
