Garden Journal ~ 1999

August 12, 1999
Well, this year, hasn't been a great garden year, my motivation level has been way down, and many of the things I planted this spring didn't grow, and what did, the slugs ate. My herb plants and perennials are doing well, this being their 3rd year, they are getting big and bushy. I've thought about going out and planting another crop, maybe today, maybe not, we'll see.

May 25, 1999
The garden is growing great! About a week ago, while turning the soil, I discovered a baby praying mantis, still in the larva stage, about 3/4 an inch long, dark, with an iridescent green spot on its shoulder. Big eyes. Its tiny claws pulled him along. I saw him in the same area I saw an adult praying mantis last summer. I put him back where I found him, I hope to see him again when he's older.

The GoldenSeal is doing great. The chocolate mint is spreading. My sage is getting pretty big, I cut it pretty heavily this spring, the result was it bushing out. I've planted peas, beats, spinach, and radishes, they are all up. Yesterday, I planted beans and carrots. Today I planted my starter plants, the gold cherry tomatoes, several varieties of hot peppers for my honey, and some flowers. Its been cool and cloudy this week, we've gotten some rain. I've started eating my spring salads, something I wait all winter for.

April 14, 1999
The garden season begins, I feel like I'm behind again, as usual. I managed to throw a few spinach and radish seeds in a pot before the last batch of moisture we got which turned out to be snow. Yesterday I noticed they were coming up. Every where I looked, I needed to prepare the soil before putting in any seeds. I turned the soil in the larger bed, added some compost and peat moss. The soil clumped together, worse than I remember last year. Third year garden soil, should be getting to be good soil, {sigh}. I planted some beets, spinach and lettuce. And today the rain they were predicting has turned to snow, as it was getting dark there was a half inch layer of snow on the ground.