Day 2 of the hundred day project

Well the weather is not playing ball with the one hundred day project.  It is snowy and rainy and slushy and cold and there is not one single thing I would want to do in the garden even if I was not feeling sore throated and sore chested and sorry for myself.

And we are not talking crisp white stunning beauty snow.



It does not look like this.  We are talking mush and slush and grey and rain on top of snow and a deep desire to hibernate or live in the South of France.  It is April.  It is Easter, no more snow for heaven's sake.

So I have decided that making a list of things to do in the garden will have to be my task for today.  Now this could be a mammoth list which really could only be followed by moving to the south of France.  There is so much to do out there that a counsel of perfection or even a counsel of mediocrity could produce pages and pages.  I have decided that what I need is a list of no more than five things, of which two must be really quite small, the kind of things that can be done in less than half an hour.  So here goes:

Finish mulching the side garden.  That is not the work of a moment.  We don't do loads of mulching here.  There is just way too much and we don't make enough compost for the whole garden and anyway I like to try and grow things that want to be up here and don't need too much coddling.  But the side garden is both the closest to the house and the poorest soil in the garden and a bit of tlc produces a big difference.  I am not going to be doing that this week though.

Cut back the wormwood.  This is a quick and easy one.  It looks so tatty right now but it will regrow and it looks way better for a fierce haircut.  I don't know whether this is best time of year for it but experience tells me that it doesn't seem to matter that much when I cut it.  It fills out and grows back pretty much regardless.

Clean out the wooden greenhouse.  This is a bigger one.  I might have to ask for some help with this.  It only happens once a year but it makes such a difference.  At the moment the area under the workbench is full of plastic pots, way more than we would ever need if we lived several lifetimes.  Does anybody know the best thing to do with plastic pots?  It doesn't look as though our council takes them in plastic recycling.  And I am not yet sure whether my sense that the cold has killed off my scented leaf geraniums is right.  The top growth looks dead.  There is plenty of firmness in the stems.  They need to be given a bit of time to show whether they have survived or not. 

Clean out the metal greenhouse.  Ditto.  Bigger, dirtier, uglier, definitely needs to be shared.

Weed the herb bed.  That shouldn't take too long and would let the dry soil herbs have a bit of breathing space.

Maybe thing to do with the big jobs is to break them down into tiny bits.  Really tiny bits.  But even that,not today.  Today is a day for staying by the stove, knitting, reading and blowing my nose.  The garden will still be there tomorrow.

Comments

  1. So much to do...good for you with the list...yikes! We've had a sunny Easter here but I think the snow may be coming x

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    1. It's that time of year isn't it? so so much to do!!

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  2. I think I need to embark on a #100dayproject too. Hope you feel better soon.

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    1. I would be interested to know if you did michelle. I think it is a really good way of reinvigorating yourself!

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  3. It's been a lousy start to Spring, my motivation is at an all time low, even without the burden of a heavy cold. And my list has now reached three pages. Stove it is, you and me both. Get well soon!

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    1. I know all about three page lists and plummeting motivation! I am hoping that this project might bring me round again. It's quite reassuring to know that other people, even great gardeners like you, feel the same!

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  4. Spring has taken her own sweet time but, maybe, she's arrived in southside VA. I'm hoping for the same for you. It's about this time of year we need...NEED...a bit of warmth and sunshine!

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    1. That's exactly how I feel. Not a wish, not a preferred but a need!!

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  5. I am delighted to follow your project and hope it might encourage me to make more of an effort in my garden.
    It is exactly as you describe here in Ireland and really miserable.
    Still. Onwards and upwards.
    Mary

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    1. Hello and welcome to the blog and the 100dayproject! Onwards and upwards indeed. At least today it is bright and the snow has gone!

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  6. Same here too wet to get on - have to finish replacing greenhouse roof part 2. But you're right doing a little every so often does make a difference 🙂

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    1. I am hoping that something every day, however minimal, will make a difference not just in getting things done but in making me feel back in touch with the garden. I fell very out of touch a couple of years ago and have never really worked out to reconnect!

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  7. Elizabeth, I have been having difficulties posting a comment on your blog. Am sure the problem is at my end. I do want to say how much I enjoy your writing and the photos, and that I find a connection that surprises me, as we live in different countries. I even wanted to make curtains, when you explained that, and I don’t sew! Spring is delayed in the mountains where I live, and my plants languish under more than two feet of snow. I think I have finally kicked a three week cold that may have been the same one you had, and I am so ready to get outside and see what is returning, and what has expired under this heavy snow. Sending with much gratitude for your creativity.

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    1. Hi Bonnie and how great of you to comment! It is good to make these connections. I love it. Where are you in your mountains? I must remind myself that at least here my plants are not still under two feet of snow!

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  8. Welcome to the blog and I hope you will be back!

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