Tomorrow will mark nine months in our new home. I thought it may be time to introduce myself to the soil. Yes, really, it has taken this long. But by “I thought it may be time” what I really meant was that work, the weather, the kiddo, my Daycare Immune System Marathon, and my energy levels all conspired to give me a gift – opportunity.
So Friday afternoon, amidst sunshine and high 50s, I took the shovel, the dog, and the wheelbarrow into the front yard. The Great Grass Removal was underway. The soil here seems lovely. Dark, rich, and crumbly. When I first got to know the soil at our last house, in 100 square feet of triple dug (go big or go home?) earth, I found precisely two earth worms amidst soil that refused to release the roots within it. Here I find fat happy worms two to the shovelful and the soil goes with the flow, shaking off into the air with the bang of each grass clump against the shovel. Forget a front heat bed repeat, I could plant tomatoes right alongside the curb! (And just might, seeing as I have thirty of them…)
The first wheelbarrow was nearly full, my ankle was reminding me that this was my first real shovel work since its last injury, and then the dog perked up his head and started sauntering down the walk. I looked up and saw he was shyly wagging his way to meet the neighbor two houses down, so I followed. Our dog minds well on good days, minds with mediocrity on some days, and gets a mind of his own on occasion. He’s eighty-five pounds of strong sweetheart but has his triggers after he was attached two years ago, so we never lack for caution. An hour later, he and I both felt as though we had made a new friend and the sun was slipping. It was going to drop into the 20s again soon, so I cleaned up, packed up, and we went went back inside to check on my little tomatoes, now in their 4″ pots of garden soil, seed starter, and coir.
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Love it! I love my dirt. We are way past the first date and awkward parent intros. Thirty tomatoes. You are a stud.
It sounds like you and your soil are well suited. Yeah, we’ll see if they all survive. I sowed many more than thirty, although hadn’t drafted the plans of how many I’d actually need. I still haven’t… Filling seed trays until they’re full seemed to work well!
Sounds like you hit the dirt jackpot–nice! Tomatoes sprouting, even nicer.
I can hardly wait to put the two together soon!
I am excited for you!!! And to start tomatoes…maybe this weekend…
Starting tomatoes seems to be a common marker for the start of the season for many. I may be planting my tomatoes out this weekend…we’ll see if the forecast holds!
Fingers crossed for you! I always keep some cloches or hoops and plastic ready because I can never seem to wait long enough to plant out!
Me, too! And me, neither…and I don’t have to wait nearly as long as you do. You’re a saint.
After 10 years in our home, my mom and I are still finding new surprises in the soil. It used to be farmland, so while it is definitely fertile, there wasn’t a lot of good things under the surface from the repeated use of bad chemicals.
That’s unfortunate! But now the soil gets a new lease on life through your care and hard work. I bet it greatly appreciates you for that.
Discovery phases are fun! It sounds like you have some great potential there, that and happy days to come x
I don’t think I’ve stayed put long enough to ever move out of the discovery phase. Hmmm…I wonder what comes next? The order take out, stay in, and watch movies phase?
Hmmm, maybe its watching the metaphorical grass grow phase 🙂