More Winter Planting

Today I got quite a bit done - finished the other small beds out front. Now we have two 4x8 beds and two 3x3 beds. I also, much to my Dad's horror, made another bed out of chopped up concrete. I read extensively about concrete and whether or not it leaches chemicals into the soil, and came to the conclusion that it is not a concern. Apparently most of the chemical leaching is done when the cement itself is made (due to the heavy metals in the machines it is made in); the other time chemicals can leach out is when it is mixed for use. Once it solidifies and is formed, this no longer happens. At least that is what some scientific article all about cement and concrete said, somewhere on the web. I also consulted a few organic forums/resources and all agreed that it was not a concern to them. But my Dad's horror lies in the appearance. Apparently it's way to trashy for him. Well, it's free (since we already had it) and holds the dirt in.

I planted a million leeks. These were from a friend and they look strong. But she gave me hundreds it seems. Oh wait, I said millions. Well, a LOT. My own leeks are growing, but very slowly, and I'm hoping they will gain some speed. I also planted some chicory, collards, beets (yes more beets!), and cauliflower.

I've also decided to keep the "wheel" in the center of our garden as is. W and I are doing much rearranging in the garden, and had plans to break open the wheel of bricks and make more rectangular shapes at the top (better for laying out a vegetable design), but I decided that the wheel is very nice as is, and with all the extra beds we are making, I think using the wheel for things like pea and bean trellises and tomatoes and potatoes, even squash - that will make good use of it's circular shape.

We have already pulled several large ornaments/herbs that we had far too much of and were blocking space and sun. It's all in progress. Hopefully I can put up some photos someday.

We also had an arborist come by and give us an estimate on some pruning and removals. It wasn't as much as I expected and it's very exciting knowing that soon there will be MORE sunlight and happier fruit trees in the garden!

I also restarted my lettuce seeds after noticing some moldy seeds. Perhaps they were too moist, but I don't think I did anything differently this time. The rest of the starts are getting used to the cool Portland July nights in their little trays, soon to join the big kids in their open spaces.