I’ve been busy trying to get everything together for my trip tomorrow and getting in a little more work in the Back Forty.

It was the wrong time of the moon, but I transplanted the leeks and the cutting celery Friday evening. And today I bought a tarragon plant from Pat and replanted it - of course I then saw that my other tarragon was coming up. Then I knuckled down and took care of some of the weeds that were about to go to seed in the area that I’ve let go a little wild. The reason I have so many all over the yard is because I let these go to seed last year.

I dug some up, because I’ve learned that a few of these with long tap roots tend to get through my newspaper barriers. Also, I was trying to dig up all the mint runners I could find. This is a big task for me because of my tendinitis problems in my wrists and elbow, so I can only do a small area at a time. Especially now, since I didn’t want to go to a craft class for a week with tendon problems.

This is one of the oldest parts of my garden, so it’s been worked several times, but not last year. It used to have medicinal herbs and flowers, along with the elephant garlic that was growing here when we moved in. This year, I’m growing tomatoes here. Later, the pear trees will shade this area and I’ll have to think of something else.

Normally I put the newspaper on top and mulch it with straw. I’ve already added greensand and some other slow-action organic fertilizers to this area, and my main concern is the weeds and invasive plants, so I’m papering it twice. Today I mulched with compost, and later after I plant my tomatoes, I’ll put a layer of wet newspaper around them and pine straw on top of the paper, probably. (I’ve been using wheat straw, but this past year I’ve had a terrible problem with lots of seed in the straw.) For about a month this will be smothering the weeds and attracting and feeding the earthworms. Then I’ll plant the tomatoes here.

It’s important to wet the area down first, then wet down the newspapers, then wet down the mulch.

All that’s well and good, but THIS is what will be waiting for me when I get back, only twice as bad…

I’ll be away from the computer for a week, so y’all be good. Hope I’m not covered up with spam when I get home.