Pure Bliss: The Birdsong Rustic Vegetable Garden Chronicle {Part 2}

WARNING : This post is LOADED WITH PHOTOS. Either you run away from your computer now or get comfy with your mug of coffee/tea and read on...

It's been weeks since I shared the beginning of our adventure in re-claiming the goats' and lambs' area and turn it into a veggie garden {you can read the previous post here}. Weekends are the only time we can devote at least 4 hours on this project and sad to say, the weather has been so unpredictable {rain, sun, hail, rain and repeat!} which definitely brought chaos in our work schedule. We do what we can, so here it goes .....

May 2

After all the raking and cleaning, we ended up with at least 30 filled-to-the-rim leaf bags!

Dear hubby also finished building the 4 raised beds so it is my turn to prep the soil ....

After searching the net, I decided to try the "lasagna" gardening technique which basically refers to the method of building the garden by adding layers of organic materials. Just like making lasagna, layering is the key. I added layers of newspapers/brown corrugated cardboard, peat moss, dried leaves, compost and soil.

We are lucky because over the years, the previous owner of the house made a huge pile of cow, goat and poultry manure at the back end of the property which has matured and can now be used as compost. All we need to do is haul the compost from the pile to the garden {it was hard work going back and forth, I tell you!}

Now we rest and let nature do its job on these beds for a week before planting ....

May 18

It took more than 2 weeks {longer than what we wanted} before the weather cooperated. Heavy rains prevented us to work in the garden so by the time we were back, the weeds were almost up to our knees!

Hubby hauled weed-filled-wheelbarrow 7x before the garden look decent. The good news was that there was no weed on the beds {the layers of news papers and hay prevented weed growth}, so I started getting my hands dirty and plated ..... herbs, cabbage, beans, tomatoes, spinach, peppers, lettuce, pickling cucumbers, raspberries and strawberries. "Tama ang kasabihan ..... magtanim ay di biro!" Oh, how my back ached after .....

Back aches, blisters, sunburn and all, I am still thankful for the opportunity to grow something in my own backyard. It is minuscule compared to the acres and acres of our neighbors' farm lands surrounding us, but growing these vegetables is like actively participating in God's everyday miracle. Now, all we need to do is to tenderly care for them and lift our prayers that God will do the rest!

June 2

Weather permitting, I visit my little plants every afternoon. Oh yes, I talked to them, sing to them {not sure though if my singing voice is helping at all}. So far, they look good and healthy ....

In two days, the gourmet lettuce and spinach are ready for salad. The beans are sprouting fast. The cabbage are getting sturdy day by day. The herbs are getting greener and taller.

Even the berries are showing good growths. Flowers are showing up on my strawberry plants. The raspberry which was only a piece of stick when we planted it is now green with leaves!