The weather was excellent again this past weekend so I made sure I spent a good amount of time in the garden getting things ready for Spring. My first major task was getting a new bed dug for my strawberries, which should be arriving this week. There was a patch of weeds (no grass in our backyard!) along side of our back porch that is about 5x10 in size. I decided to dig that all out and make it ready for some strawberries. Check it:

Overall it took be several hours to do. About 3 hours on Saturday to dig it out and add some organic matter to the soil. On Sunday I then put a little retaining wall type thing on the edge closest to the alley. I wanted to do it on the cheap, so I found a large wooden plank in the basement (leftover from the previous owners) and cut it to size. I dug a trench and stuck it in there and hammered it in with a rubber mallet. I also added some bamboo sticks on one side to give it a little extra support. It seems pretty stable and should last until I figure out something a little more permanent (maybe in a year or two).

So now I just need my strawberries and the bed will be ready!

I also continued sowing seeds in the rear-most beds. I planted a second batch of spinach seeds and I started my radishes and beets. Most of the first batch of spinach and lettuce has sprouted and my peas are just starting to break the soil. I also planted some lettuce seeds in the planters that I keep on the back porch.

Don't think that I spent all of my time in the back yard. I did just a little bit of work in the front. I applied a second round of weed killer to the gout weed, and took some pictures of all of the crocuses in the front yard. I also snapped a few pictures of the sprouting veggies in my back yard. As always, check out the galleries for more...