Day four: early realizations

We found an excuse to go to the house this morning. I don't remember what it was, but it was good enough to get a few hours of work before I went to work today.

It was a day of realization and learning. Most days are like that, but today was the biggest yet. In a good way, of course.

We started planting! Carrots, okra, and passion flower got planted. We chose these three because they don't have to be planted after last frost. It's in the 70s out today, but the latest frost in Texas is April 19th. I'll plant the rest when we get a favorable forecast that covers that day.

Realization number one: three beds are NOT going to be enough.

We planted the small 5x5 bed with seven rows of carrots. Pretty densely planted. I just cut a shallow row in the dirt with my hand and sprinkled seeds in it. Salt bae style. It only took half our packet, so we'll have more to plant at a later date.

Next we planted okra in one of our 5x10 beds. We got nine rows of 8-14 plants each. It took a packet and a half of seeds, so we still have enough to plant another whole bed. Rows were marked with sticks from around the property, but I doubt they'll pop up that way cause the baby likes playing in dirt...

Then I put us a row of passion flowers by the patio on the side next to the sunflowers. My hope here is that they'll grow up and give us some of those pretty flowers on the patio rail. The fruit has something in it that promotes good sleep, so it's not just a decorative plant.

When I went checking the clover area I saw some of the growth over there (not clovers) had put off some pretty purple flowers. There was a bee buzzing around em, which makes me happy. I need my clover to bloom and bring more bees.

Realization number two: I need a lot more clover seeds out here. A living mulch that enriches nitrogen sounds great. As does something lush and green, and not tall. It's gonna be a bear mowing this place. I'll order much more clover soon. Need to find a heat tolerant breed though because I learned my Dutch white clover are probably not gonna be able to hack the Texas summer.

Realization number three: as much as I like native wildlife being active in my property, I may have to fight some squirrels. These fellas have decimated my soffit boards on the shop and apartment. And the electrical work. Not sure yet how I'll handle it, but they seem to be an active issue.

That's about it for my major realizations today. There were a few dead mice in the yard this morning. We noticed a neighborhood cat around the house, so I reckon he probably brought em as a token of good will. It's appreciated. I'll take some tuna for him next time.

Stay relevant y'all, and keep learning.

Nate