HERD ABOUT IT by ana grarian

You’ve heard the phrase ‘madder than a wet hen? So have I and I assumed it meant angry, but perhaps it just means daft. (Google that phrase (or Bing it. Duck Duck go might be appropriate.) Anyway – our hens seem to not mind being wet one bit. I expected that today they would be relaxing in the dry straw in their coop, but instead they are strutting the yard in a concerted hunt for whatever the rain turns up. Perhaps rainy days mean a juicier dinner?

No gardening for me today, which kind of puts a damper on the joy of a half day of work. Instead I will run those errands I have put off, buying pet food and getting potato starts, perhaps some rhubarb. Mmmm rhubarb.

I’ve been digging up beds around the trees for ornamentals, shaking out the dirt from the sod to fill my raised beds for vegetables, then digging up and planting Hostas that have overgrown. Heavy work in unseasonably hot weather and by yesterday afternoon it was clear I had done myself in. A few quarts of lemon water, some aspirin and a long night’s sleep has me feeling much more chipper today. I won’t need to water my plants today because mother nature is doing a bang up job of it.

So far the gardens are doing well. This morning the pumpkin seedlings are tall enough I can see them from the front window. Yesterday I saw that the sunflowers and beans were up and my nasturtiums were now quite well established. I neglected to check on the Swiss Chard and just where did I plant kale?

I’m putting stuff into bits and pieces of the yard where roses have been growing because I don’t know exactly how the shade will fall once these trees leaf out completely. Of course I remembered too late that the leafy veggies will do well in shade. Now I need to make a map of my yard so that I have a better plan for next year. Maybe by then the Hosta beds will be cleared and I can plant something permanent there.

Speaking of which – Asparagus! I need to decide on the best place for an asparagus bed!