Actual garden work done. Perfect weather.

 Yes, even more perfect winter weather to garden in. Warm sun, slight breeze, mostly clear skies. Supposed to get possible rain and thunderstorm by New Years day which will be a bummer because I have an errand to storage on that day. Will see if this storm stalls out like the last one.

But first, the west bed update. Everything is thriving luckily and it looks like there's carrots coming up along the back edge along with the lone onion. The transplanted potato perked up so that's a good sign, just wish I could have buried it deeper to take advantage of that long stalk. Will have to see if I can squeeze in a repurposed nursery pot and fill it with soil. Unfortunately, there's not much room between it and the carrots and the chives. That cilantro will be first harvest in the spring, same with the carrots.

I guess I made a  mistake bringing my pruners (don't remember why I needed them) and my gloves. Because something in my back brain reminded me I needed my gloves to do something. Well I realized what it was when I stopped long enough to look around the garden.

This is what  I ended up doing.

Not only rearranging the crate but moved the aloe pot and raked everything best I could using Dolores' small rake.

This is how it went:

The pile of leaves, bark and debris that was under and around the bucket. Including, sort of expected... snails. I found these when I cleared that pile out as well as a few more when I moved the aloe.

Stage one, clearing out and leveling the soil there. Had to dig down with the hoe to get a mostly level spot for the crate, which I discovered several rocks and pieces of asphalt. Good thing I'm not actually growing anything in the ground there.

Something else discovered on the crate when  I pulled it out. Those are spiky egg sacs so those are from a Brown Widow not Black Widow. Good thing I had gloves on, I pulled that webbing off and tossed it in the Jade bush. I leveled the soil and smushed the crate in there and saw that there would be absolutely no way for me to get to the trellis on that corner. As I knew would happen. Drat. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I then sized it up and tried to see if I could fit it cross ways, but also realizing it would be an extremely tight fit. Which it was. Dangit. There was a small piece of wood that was apparently hanging it up so I moved that but it was still too tight due to the angled cut on those logs. Two inches was all  I needed.

I then thought maybe I can put the crate in front of the log pile and move the aloe somewhere else, like with the cousins over in the shade near Dolores' garden.

 

So that smaller pot.... I thought it had just rooted in but noooo, someone had buried it half in the ground so one root was snaking out into the surrounding soil. I pulled it up, filled in the hole best I could and left it there. Not enough room and too far for me to move that huge aloe. I then shifted some more logs, cleared that dirt pile there and dragged it to lean against the wall. The issue with moving it is first, the sheer weight of it. Has to be at least 45-50 lbs which is above my weight limit. Second, my gloves are not as 'sticky' as they used to be and the leaves were slick with their own natural wax so it came down almost rolling it into place. It's stable enough and gives something else for the leezards to hide in. It's out of the way of me working in the west bed so good spot for it.

And just for reference, I took a picture of a sunflower seed that was in that area, must have fallen off the flower head when I was loosening the seeds. I tossed it there and then covered it up with some soil. It's out of the way, will get some water and maybe some sun once the light shifts. If it grows, it grows, if not oh well. 

Nice and tidy corner there now with all the plants getting sun. When those containers are no longer needed and planted out the crate can stand up or move completely to the front of the logs to plant something else in.

Feels good to get some work done.