I’ve done it all, and I’d like to say that I know it all too! LOL

Let me preface this statement by first saying that when I started in the garden I knew diddly-squat. I’d like to think that I knew at least the name of some plants, and sure I’d moved a plant from one pot into the next before, but now my knowledge has grown exponentially. Thank you garden team for all the skills, for you are all beautiful people!
So, as to having done it all, I now have. 

Another thing that contributes to my “I’ve done it all” attitude is the fact that I got nipped by parsnip.

It turns out that if you get the juice of this plant on your skin while being exposed to UV rays, it creates a reaction that becomes light-sensitive and turns into a form of eczema. Awesome! Let this part of my smarty-pants attitude be a warning that it’s not a fun experience. (That would explain why I sometimes walk around with one purple glove on, even though you could also think that I’m starting a new fashion trend.)

After learning more than my fair share of the garden life recently, it’s time to step indoors, take off my glove, and have a nice glass of tea.

Yesterday I mixed soil to prick out plants (which is taking a bushel of plants and separating them into their own pots), transplanted into the ground, dug up weeds in a bed, mulched a new bed of plants, and harvested. Today I brought water to a bed of plants all on my own, and tomorrow is composting day (which, frankly, is feeling like old habit now).

So you see, I’ve seen the process through from start to end, and I’ve loved every minute of it. When do I get my own bed now to take  care  of?! :-)

After the first day of the cob workshop, I pause to reflect; what all did I do today? Before today the garden and cob folks collected many materials that have come to serve us well, such as straw hay, clay, sand, pavers, cement rubble, and especially people. So, thinking back on my day…..

To begin today all of us “cobians” mixed 6 parts sand with 4 parts clay into a fine mixture, and then water was added.

Even though the cob workshop seems to be a priority on the list, it is by no means the only thing going on in the garden. Many of you may have noticed the huge load of compost that was delivered and eventually went toward fertilizing (and then mulching) the tree food forest.

Also, the keyhole garden has been completed with new vegetables, and (thanks to Tom!) the aisles leading throughout the garden are weed-free and are taking on beautiful shape with some new pavers.

 After that the fun began as we all took off our shoes and pranced about trying to create the perfect texture and substance of the natural mixture. Finally we added the straw hay, also with our feet, which works to reinforce the wet mass we just smoothed out.

With all the building materials we were able to create a great foundation for the bench as well as get quite far on the cob oven. It was a day of truly playing in the sand!