We started some long overdue garden work and preparation today and yesterday as we finally had a weekend with really good weather here in Wylie. K did a lot of pruning of woody perennials as well as some boring weeding work that really needed to be done. I got the veggie garden ready for planting by pulling up all the winter weeds, adding some compost to replace lost material throughout the year last year and planted snap peas, brussel sprouts and strawberries.
Our strawberry patch had 3 good years but really got knocked out this winter by both cold and some pretty compacted soil. I have read that strawberry patches need to be replanted in halves each year so that the compacted soil from the runners can be opened up and the soil can accept water and nutrients better. Our harvest last year was definitely sub-standard so hopefully, this will help. I hoed up half the patch, added a bag of compost and then planted three new plants. I use Gardens’ Alive strawberry fertilizer (as well as their veggie and tomato fertilizer, I’m a big fan of the results) and added that to the new planting as well as the remaining old. I planted Sequoia everbearer plants which may or may not be suited for Texas but was what Lowe’s had in stock. We usually get several baskets from our little patch but I’m guessing this year will be a smaller harvest unless I decide to go back for more plants. Three look pretty lonely right now.
The sugar snaps should mature about May 10 and the brussel sprouts are a gamble entirely at this point. I also ran PVC to the bed I built last fall where garlic and onions are currently trying to produce. That will allow me to run soaker hoses along the length of that bad as well as possibly run a drip line to our blackberry patch.
The gardening to-do list is always long in spring and I’ve got a ton more to do over the next few weeks. I’ll update as it goes.