This time I did not put in a title first - I keep getting distracted - Did anyone figure out I am saddled with ADD?????!!
So I got up real early yesterday, checked out the weather - possible shower, but no thunder storms expected - Yea!! Just need to get out the rain ponchos so everyone won't get soaked too bad. Got everything ready, assorted tools out, food planned.
If you ask they will come!
And they came!!! People came to help - well, actually, I knew they were coming, I must fess up. My very first gardener through Freecycle, Krissy had offered to help me with gardening. This is how it all got started. (Edited by me)
From Krissy 6-26:
Hi Marna ,
I was going through my gardens and looking for plants i didn't see at your house and found a couple i am not sure if you would be interested in them but i will give you the names and you can look them up and if you want them i will make a note of it for the future. All of these are going to need to be divided in the fall most likely and if you want some either for yourself or to hold onto and grow for other freecycle members i am sure we will have some for you.
Thank you also for taking time to walk us around your gardens yesterday as i know you were busy with your grandchildren and it was a spur of the moment thing. My mother and i both enjoyed the time there and appreciate both the seeds and plants. I can't even tell you how excited i am about the jack in the pulpit!!!! I almost thought of posting for it on freecycle and i thought nobody would have that so i didn't post for it. Thank you so much for everything and look forward to hearing from you in the future.
Regards,
Kristina
I was going through my gardens and looking for plants i didn't see at your house and found a couple i am not sure if you would be interested in them but i will give you the names and you can look them up and if you want them i will make a note of it for the future. All of these are going to need to be divided in the fall most likely and if you want some either for yourself or to hold onto and grow for other freecycle members i am sure we will have some for you.
Thank you also for taking time to walk us around your gardens yesterday as i know you were busy with your grandchildren and it was a spur of the moment thing. My mother and i both enjoyed the time there and appreciate both the seeds and plants. I can't even tell you how excited i am about the jack in the pulpit!!!! I almost thought of posting for it on freecycle and i thought nobody would have that so i didn't post for it. Thank you so much for everything and look forward to hearing from you in the future.
Regards,
Kristina
Sent: Friday, June 27, 2008 5:49:58 AM
Subject: Re:
Hi Krissy -
Okay, so I guess I do need to expand my horizons -I have decided that I will take whatever different plants people are offering - not now, though - when you divide them. this whole thing has become so much bigger than I ever anticipated - I just need to get organized and find out how to identify those people who are willing to help over here. and especially those who want to learn how to weed!!! With all this rain and and this email i have do very little weeding - Thankfully I have a lot mulched and with living mulch - it makes SUCH a difference. i also want to clear out the old vegetable patch out back and get it ready to plant seeds of all these I'm collecting - then people can see them grow and get the seedlings in the fall _ Would you and Matt be willing to help sometime?? Maybe bring some friends, go swimming and in the hot tub after???? we could put hot dogs on the grill??? Think about it and let me know - Thanks Krissy, Marna N. Onorato
Okay, so I guess I do need to expand my horizons -I have decided that I will take whatever different plants people are offering - not now, though - when you divide them. this whole thing has become so much bigger than I ever anticipated - I just need to get organized and find out how to identify those people who are willing to help over here. and especially those who want to learn how to weed!!! With all this rain and and this email i have do very little weeding - Thankfully I have a lot mulched and with living mulch - it makes SUCH a difference. i also want to clear out the old vegetable patch out back and get it ready to plant seeds of all these I'm collecting - then people can see them grow and get the seedlings in the fall _ Would you and Matt be willing to help sometime?? Maybe bring some friends, go swimming and in the hot tub after???? we could put hot dogs on the grill??? Think about it and let me know - Thanks Krissy, Marna N. Onorato
----- Original Message ----
From: Marna Onorato <mnonorato@yahoo.com>
To: Kristina
Sent: Friday, June 27, 2008 1:33:45 PM
Krissy - you tell me when you can come - you put it together - I am pretty much here -other than that I should be around. Plan it around a meal - we will wing it!!! THANKS SO VERY MUCH!!!!!!! Marna N. Onorato
From: Kristina
To: Marna Onorato
Sent: Friday, June 27, 2008 12:19:56 PM
----- Original Message ----To: Marna Onorato
Sent: Friday, June 27, 2008 12:19:56 PM
Hi Marna,
You know what is funny my mom said when we were leaving that your such a nice person that she would be willing to go over and help out with weeding or what not if you ever needed help because you are just so nice and giving. I would be more than happy to come over and help i can bring my boyfriend Logan which you meet. Matt said he would be more than happy too he also liked the sound of going in the hot tub and he would probably bring my sister with him. Anyways I am not sure when you would be looking for help as we all have different schedules so if your thinking of during the week or on a weekend let us know and we will figure it out. Everyone in my family usually all have Sundays off so if you have Sundays free that may be a good day. Either way just let me know what you want and what is good for you and we can work from there. Sincerely, Krissy
You know what is funny my mom said when we were leaving that your such a nice person that she would be willing to go over and help out with weeding or what not if you ever needed help because you are just so nice and giving. I would be more than happy to come over and help i can bring my boyfriend Logan which you meet. Matt said he would be more than happy too he also liked the sound of going in the hot tub and he would probably bring my sister with him. Anyways I am not sure when you would be looking for help as we all have different schedules so if your thinking of during the week or on a weekend let us know and we will figure it out. Everyone in my family usually all have Sundays off so if you have Sundays free that may be a good day. Either way just let me know what you want and what is good for you and we can work from there. Sincerely, Krissy
From: Marna Onorato <mnonorato@yahoo.com>
To: Kristina
Sent: Friday, June 27, 2008 1:33:45 PM
Krissy - you tell me when you can come - you put it together - I am pretty much here -other than that I should be around. Plan it around a meal - we will wing it!!! THANKS SO VERY MUCH!!!!!!! Marna N. Onorato
From : Krissy
I will talk with everyone and let you know hopefully by tomorrow if I see everyone. Sunday ( I think it is the 6th) would be good but if that is to late then I will come during the week sometime I will check with everyone and see if anyone else wants to come and if so when I will let you know in the next few days. Talk to you soon!
And that is how the plan evolved!! (Okay I give up on font and color right now!)
And that is how the plan evolved!! (Okay I give up on font and color right now!)
The day before: in an email to Krissy: I went out to check out the area we will be working in - it is mostly shallow rooted weeds, except for a bunch of Pokeweed. Many are 6'. They have a long taproot, but it should be easy enough with my long shovel.
And Sunday morning, Krissy, her dad, Mike, and Logan arrived around 8:30 - on a Sunday morning, on Fourth of July weekend, here were these 3, giving their time to work hard digging a new garden!! We were faced with a large area - 25' by 35', full of wonderfully overgrown weeds!! I forgot to take a before picture, but there were at least 2 dozen 6' Pokeweed, lots of 4' Jewelweed (Touch-Me-Not) other weeds and a few surprises. We found a little patch of Pulmonaria, a small Barberry, a lone Pulmonaria, and 2 Dorinicum, that was thought to possibly squash!all waiting to be rescued. I'll adopt out the Barberry and lone Pulmonaria, and keep the Pulmonaria patch for propagating.
This is what a Pokeweed looks like. The flowers produce large purple berries later in the season - Watch for seedlings as they get very hard to remove when growing in among perennials. I have had them come up frequently right in the middle of rose bushes. They are very hard to remove in that case without harming the other plant. When you just cut the root, it will grow right back - you need to remove the entire taproot.
This is the root system from a 6' Pokeweed
Do these look familiar to anyone besides me - How about this one?
( can't load any more photos now)
So we had our work cut out for us.
This is waht a ptch next to the area looks like, only these weeds are much smaller than those we encountered. We're talking weeds that have been growing in pure compost for about 5 years now!!!
And Sunday morning, Krissy, her dad, Mike, and Logan arrived around 8:30 - on a Sunday morning, on Fourth of July weekend, here were these 3, giving their time to work hard digging a new garden!! We were faced with a large area - 25' by 35', full of wonderfully overgrown weeds!! I forgot to take a before picture, but there were at least 2 dozen 6' Pokeweed, lots of 4' Jewelweed (Touch-Me-Not) other weeds and a few surprises. We found a little patch of Pulmonaria, a small Barberry, a lone Pulmonaria, and 2 Dorinicum, that was thought to possibly squash!all waiting to be rescued. I'll adopt out the Barberry and lone Pulmonaria, and keep the Pulmonaria patch for propagating.
This is what a Pokeweed looks like. The flowers produce large purple berries later in the season - Watch for seedlings as they get very hard to remove when growing in among perennials. I have had them come up frequently right in the middle of rose bushes. They are very hard to remove in that case without harming the other plant. When you just cut the root, it will grow right back - you need to remove the entire taproot.
This is the root system from a 6' Pokeweed
Do these look familiar to anyone besides me - How about this one?( can't load any more photos now)
So we had our work cut out for us.
This is waht a ptch next to the area looks like, only these weeds are much smaller than those we encountered. We're talking weeds that have been growing in pure compost for about 5 years now!!!
So everyone here learned how to remove a 6' Pokeweed, and we all took turns doing them. Krissy's dad, Mike loved using (Sorry I don't know how to stop the underlining)( can't load anymore photos right now)
Let's -----so now my font is off --- let's see if I've got it now---too small-----ok that's better - sorry, folks, must need more coffee. I will describe the tool in a future tool post. Suffice it to say it is amazing. I had decided early on to have no expectations for the day. We were under way when Sara arrived. Sara, mother of 2, had to get her family squared away before leaving to join the garden crew. (now my new cordless mouse isn't working right!!) This post just seems to be a bit challenged today!! Or is it that I am the one challenged!! Well duh - we already know that!
So I set an initial target area of about 25' by maybe 10' to just get the weeds out. We got that done in about an hour - Matt had finally (!!Yea Matt!!! - pants on fire!! - I won't say ANY more!!) arrived, and the 5 of them just kept going and going while I rescued the Pulmonaria patch. They got the whole area cleared out, turned over the soil in the initial 25' by 20' area, even had a fruit break during it, and were all done by about 10:45, which gave us chatting time (the girls, that is). They all helped clean up the area, and get the tolls put away just in time for the arrival of special guests to the garden.
So now i can't load any more photos, my mouse isn't working, and I had everything all set to go for this morning. Got it all prepared last night. This is exactly what I am talking about - you just never know what will happen on a minute to minute basis. You need to be willing to go with the flow. So I am on to a thank you to Krissy.
This post is incomplete - to be finished soon.
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