The Market Garden

 I have spoken before about our massive garden, aka The Market Garden. It has so taken over our lives that we have very little time for anything else. It is a gigantic project and the whole family (except for 6 month old Jesse) is put to work.

 

I have bought a ton of seeds and propagating trays and Dan salvaged a perfect square window which I am using as a cold frame. The first seedlings are in. They are mostly cool weather crops such as spinach, radishes, pumpkins, and peas. While we are awaiting their arrival on the farm, the garden progresses.

 

Dan pictured a large (He sure achieved that!) garden with zones and walkways. He hired someone to put in the poles that will hold up the netting and serve as guides for the planking. The beds will be raised and we already have had 2 deliveries of top soil, mulch, gravel, and compost. All of these are wheel barrowed into place by Dan and now by Yael since Dan’s back went out. Are any of us surprised? Dan works all the time and something had to give.

 

I pretty much smooth out paper and babysit. What paper? Glad you asked. When my household goods were shipped here from the States, everything, and I mean everything including paper clips, was wrapped in white paper. Needless to say, we have a lot of it.

So Dan decided to use it. We smooth out the sheets of paper, cut up the cardboard boxes and spread the boxes and the sheets over the weeds inside the garden. Then we spread hay, then compost and top soil and finish off with the mulch. By the way, I use the royal “we”. I smooth papers; that is my total contribution. But a vital one, I’m sure.