Going into it, I honestly wasn’t sure how I would hold up during Saturday’s garden blitz. We had one shot to get in our potatoes and spring crops — one day where the soil was dry enough (barely), we had a tiller, and all of the stars aligned just so = tons of work!
With only one tiller and three helpers, I spent I good bit of the morning waiting for the ground to be ready to plant. Matthew and Pam did all of the tilling — there’s no reason I couldn’t have joined in, but the machine scared me a bit. I did help spread some soil amendments, including lime, gypsum, and some alfalfa-based fertilizer.
Once the soil was prepped, we planted six rows of potatoes, a bazillion onions, some cruciferous seedlings (sadly, we had to buy these, as ours bit the dust once again, but we have a plan of attack for next time), and artichoke seedlings.
Other than playing photographer (and a little help with clean-up), planting the artichokes was my last garden-related act for the day. After that, my aching lower back and I retreated inside to bond with a yoga mat, while Matthew and Pam toiled for a couple more hours, planting peas, carrots, and more onions.
They finally called it quits when dusk turned into full dark, and the raindrops grew a bit more insistent.
We finally arrived home, feeling more zombie than human. A hot shower and a hot meal (PTL for leftovers!) only slightly eased the zombified state for me. I finally made it into bed, and despite not-so-great sleep, I woke up Sunday feeling surprisingly good.
How I survived:
- Hydration
- Frequent snack breaks
- Frequent breaks
- Stretching my back at the end of the day
- And, last but not least, being the gardening slacker — from skipping some garden days altogether, to taking it easy when I’m there, between the three of us, I win the slacker award, hands down 😉 Matthew and Pam are the garden super heroes!
Her Green Life 