LOOK Mom!!! I have my own dumptruck!!
Not sure how this will go over with Nell, but we shall see. At a minimum, we will fill the truck this week and over the weekend when the Gardeners of Wake County work. Once I dump next week, I’ll pick up leaf mulch to cover our recently weeded beds.
I’ve been working on an important piece about creating insect habitats. I thought I would have been done last week, I kept going down a rabbit hole to make the article more in-depth. I do that. When it’s up, I hope you find it helpful. It will be up Friday!
TUESDAY
Lounging at the lake
I’m off today!
WEDNESDAY
I met with my supervisor, Neal Wisenbaker, an excellent manager if you ask me, and I spent years as a VP of Science and Engineering, so I know a little something about good managers. We set the stage of how were are going forward. We couldn’t be more in tune with what we hope for The Joslin Garden.
Our goal is to show The Joslin Garden to be the City’s organic example with no herbicide, fungicide, pesticides, or any other -cide killing chemical. The weeding will be done by Helen-cide where all weeding will be by hand-pulled (I respect hand weeding) coupled with a good cover of composted leaf mulch from the City of Raleigh. I use the same mulch in my home garden. I know its power!
My coffee walked was to see what was needed this week. Checked out the garden since I’ve been away. It’s a short week for me in the garden, but I’ve been busy with other things.
Greenhouse booty!
Like good neighbors, we will be using the dumpstruck so we don’t have to have containers at the street until District 4 picks up on Friday. As such, I moved the cans and tarps to store up hill by the compost bins.
Speaking of our compost bins, Art was able to help out and I put him on turning compost Bin 2. We can start using it now. Each Monday, I will turn Bin 2 so we can start adding herbaceous debris.
To go with the Bug Bungalow, I added materials to the Eagle Scout donations boxes we found our Bug Bungalows. BRAG alert! My son was an Eagle Scout <3
Aillene planted Greenhouse Booty. We had a lot, and I’m so grateful she was able to help out. I was crazy busy with other things.
After making the Bug Bungalows, I didn’t want to weed anymore until I had mulch to cover it. Once the weeds are gone, the sunlight penetrates, and germination is overwhelming me. Instead, I made some shortcuts.
There was a small triangle reaching a couple of extra steps. What! Yes, I. move quickly through the gardens, even a couple of steps matter. Once this area is crossed, there is a huge triangle on one side of the new Pollinator Garden that would save me 15 steps!!! That’s from one side to the other. I made s shortcut.
The Joslin Garden benefited from my years of designing NC State Fair demonstration gardens. Side note, this year I’ll have two demo gardens. One is Garden Party and the other Throw Me Some Shade—Are you really wearing THAT!?!
FRIDAY
I went with Plan B. Since I have the dump truck, I first figured we would fill it with the Saturday’s debris gathered from the Gardeners of Wake County. Chris had the brilliant idea was to dump today and get the mulch. Then, perhaps, we might have help from the volunteers to wheel it to me as I spread. So that’s the plan!
Until soon,
Helen Yoest (M.S. Environmental Science)
The Joslin Garden, Program Coordinator