Spring clean up begins!

It was a gorgeous day Saturday in Indianapolis.  I believe we may have hit 60 degrees or better with loads of sunshine!  So, it comes as no surprise that  tonight into Monday morning, the weatherman is predicting 1-2" of snow.  Sigh.

I took advantage of the nice weather to get a start in the gardens.  I prepped the old salad bed, an 8'x8' raised bed on the other side of the clothesline next to the garage.  I moved the arbor over there and then moved the blackberries.  I know it's not the right time to move them but they needed moved.  I may not get any blackberries this season but they had started getting into my strawberry bed so they had to go!  This bed should give them a bit more room to spread.  

Over in the strawberry bed, I removed the straw because I have some great starts coming up.  I pulled a few odd weeds out of the bed that evidently were missed last year.  I tried to move the divider that had been between the strawberries and the blackberries.  The border and divider of the berry bed was made out of a really old telephone pole that I had the hubby cut into pieces for me.  It raises the bed about a foot and makes a great barrier to keep the berries in.  I was unable to move the divider because it is a little long.  My husband tried to cut it down some but his chainsaw needs sharpened.  I did take advantage and just kinda cleaned up the strawberry bed and made sure that I took out any wild blackberry shoots that were meandering over there.

My son who is 8 was also out helping today.  We have a very large tree in the back yard that seems to lose a few twigs and branches each winter.  My son gathered them all up and piled them up for use in the fire pit.  He loves when we have an impromptu weenie roast and s'more night.  Psst...Mom does too because then I don't have to cook.  Or clean up!  Win-win!

I also moved the compost pile.  I put it around an old tree stump that I want gone.  It's in the back corner, not really in the way but annoying to me.  Instead of paying to have it ground out, I'll just put my compost pile on and around it and in time (it's not a big stump) it will rot away.  I've already done this with a few stumps over the years and it really does work.  But you have to be patient, it's not quick.  

I still have a back area that is just empty that I feel the need to fill.  I think I want to plant blueberry bushes.  In addition to making blueberry jam, we like to eat frozen blueberries.  You just put wax paper on a cookie sheet, lay the blueberries out in a single layer and put it in the freezer until they are frozen. Then I put them in a good Ziploc freezer bag and remove as much air as possible.  This way we can grab a handful at a time for a quick snack.  They're wonderful frozen and there is no sugar added!

Finally, my daffodils are-this-close to blooming.  This last (hopefully) blast of snow better not kill them!