Soil Prep and Planting
2006.08.12
I continued working on the west garden today. I mixed in compost and some sand with the existing soil (and weeds). This finished off the rest of the compost pile that’s been on the driveway since last fall.
Then I laid out some landscaping fabric. If ever there was a time to use it, this would be it, as I’m sure all the tilled up weeds will turn into zombies and try to grow back again. After that was in place, I spent a little time arranging the plants still in their pots.
I started planting with the shrubby things in the middle, and worked towards the outside. The landscaping fabric makes this process more challenging. First you use a utility knife to cut an X-shaped hole the size of the plastic pot, or as close as you can get it. Then you fold back the four flaps, and dig out a hole. This is the tricky part, because it’s hard to dig a hole just the right diameter and depth. After putting in a little fertilizer and water, then you get the plant out of the pot and stick it down in there. Then an awkward step of trying to fill in soil around the plant because you dug the hole too wide, but not so wide that you can stick your whole hand down there. This was less than satisfying, and I’m a little concerned that I didn’t really get enough soil packed in around some of the plants. Hopefully as I water, the soil will move around and compact better.
And then I discovered that my garden was an Indian burial ground…
It was a hot day today, and I decided to quit around 3:00 PM, although I hadn’t finished getting all the plants in the ground. Nate came by and we ran around the rest of the day.
West Garden