I decided that we needed to cover the vegetable garden plot this winter, to keep weeds from taking over. It's really hard to till the soil when it's full of tough native plants with tenacious roots. It's also hard for me to realize that the next time I do the tilling out in the garden I'll be 70 years old!
A couple of weeks ago, Walt went to our local Bricomarché DIY/hardware/gardening store and found two tarps that cover most of the garden plot, and we put bricks, concrete blocks, heavy tiles, boards, and rocks all around the edge to keep the tarps from blowing away. So far so good. The tarps didn't budge, despite the windy weather we had last weekend. The plants on the edges of the plot are Swiss chard (on the left) and Tuscan kale (on the right). I harvested some kale leaves last week and we enjoyed them at lunchtime.
Above is the sunset day before yesterday as I was going out for an afternoon walk with the dog. It was nice to see the sun that day. Yesterday, we were completely socked in — the fog was so thick that visibility was really limited.
Above is a view over part of the vineyard, looking away from the sunset and toward our house. The eastern sky is much softer and more peaceful-looking than the western sky on these mid-December afternoons.
I have been covering everything with leaves. Works great. My husband hates it (leaves are to be taken to the déchetterie). However, we don't have a garden in an open spot like yours--we have walls all around, so the leaves mostly stay put.
ReplyDeleteWe've covered the garden plot with autumn leaves for years. The problem in the spring is that if there's much rain (as there often is) the leaves hold so much water that the garden is a muddy mess. And weeds grow up through the dead, rotting leaves and put down long, matted roots. Our soil is heavy clay with a lot of rocks in it. I'm hoping the tarps will keep the soil drier and the weeds down. On verra...
DeleteQui ne risque rien, n'a rien! It's probably a good idea. As you say, time will tell.
DeleteDon't worry about being 70 in the Spring, my dad kept a garden until he broke a leg planting limas at age 95. You've got some good years left.
ReplyDelete