Set-backs and set-ups at Scaredy Cat Farm

I think I got a bit overwhelmed.  Last week when I said that I wasn't going to tackle my weeds until my fruit starts arrived and then I would only have to "order compost, do a thorough weeding job, plant the new fruit, lay down a soaker hose, and cover the whole thing with 2" of compost," my heart sunk.  That was the list for just one of my beds.  My big raised bed still needs to be filled with soil and have some sort of water system put in place.  My small raised bed also still needs soil and water -- plus sturdy trellises so I can grow vines upright. And then I kept getting turned around by my planting schedule.  It was complicated since I aspire to succession planting and four season edibles.  When I ordered my seeds, I didn't even think about seasonal varieties: that you might be able to plant spinach or lettuce year round -- but some varieties flourish in winter and others in summer.

My kindergartner was asking me if I knew what a put-up was the other day.  I didn't.  And it took two days before it came out that a put-up is the opposite of a put-down (ie. a compliment.)  So as I come out of my funk, I am dwelling on my set-ups rather than set-backs.

Set-up number 1: Our large raised bed is in the ground.  It even has holders installed in case I am ever ready to try a hoop system (and then I would "only need" to buy and cut 1/2 inch PVCto length, buy and cut the row cover, and figure out how to secure it so it doesn't blow away -- so maybe in the fall....)

Set-up number 2: I managed to get a few inches of soil into the bottom of our structure.  Plus, I remembered there are teenage boys around here.  I could probably hire one to get more of this task done.  (I am using composted sod for the bottom foot and will be buying better raised bed soil for the top foot.)

Set-up number 3: I did manage to design a planting schedule.  I even allowed myself to pick out a few more seeds to get me through the winter.  And I have decided that just because you can plant in Februrary, it doesn't mean you have to.  I will get started in March.

Set-up number 4:  I let someone else get me a huge headstart on my soon-to-be renovated, time for a nap/cup of tea/good book relaxation area.  They took out the diseased, overgrown fotinia that was turning our eaves into a condo development for young animal families and the arborvitae I never warmed to -- and soon I will regain shade and privacy with plantings of narrow, clumping bamboo, woodrush, and hostas.

Set-up number 5: The end of 'false' spring and the return of the rain predicted for this week has been exaggerated.  There have been plenty of sunbursts to sustain me -- and though they probably won't last (the air is a lot crisper than it has been in a while), I might even be ready for 'real' spring when it comes.