Winter is Here? Already?

Okay, as some of you know, I had surgery on my back in May. That resulted in six weeks of lying on my side, followed by six weeks of returning to work part-time, and physical therapy that finally ended at the beginning of November. 

It also happened that during this time, we had our driveway jack-hammered up and only replaced half of it. There's a grand plan for retaining walls, a bio-swale with native plants, topped by a full vegetable garden!

There's only one drawback. I can still only lift about twenty pounds. Bending and twisting are verboten. So, needless to say this is a VERY slow process and somehow, winter came last week, along with torrential rain and dry sharp cold.

What's a girl to do when she can't build a wall, dig a hole, or turn soil?  I've decided there's only one thing to be done! Sheet Mulch! On Wednesday night, I intend to raid the scrap cardboard pile at work giving me ample 'starter' cardboard for the rest of the Holiday weekend.  San Leandro Garden Center has bulk mushroom compost at reasonable rates, and if I ask very nice, they'll bag and load it for me. They are so sweet there.

If anyone has great ideas for making the most of a sheet-mulching on what will next spring be the vegetable garden, please let me know!

An Un-Garden Blog?

As some of you know, I've had ongoing back problems for awhile now. As a result, I haven't been doing any gardening at all. (Or yardwork, or landscaping, or really much of anything except spend a lot of time on the floor with ice packs.) I finally had to swallow my pride and hire someone to help me out.

I didn't want just anyone. I didn't want some guy with a lawn-mower racing all over my yard, or spraying pesticides or chemical fertilizers everywhere. I also didn't want someone who was going to charge me a fortune for work I didn't need. And most importantly, I wanted someone who loves soil, who loves growing things and understands that their cycles are an important part of our lives.

I found Sandra. (https://sites.google.com/site/cagardensbyanativecalifornian/home)  She's exceeded every expectation. And while I feel horribly guilty about limping about the house while she's out working so hard, I'm so excited to see my yard looking once again like something I can be proud of.  She uncovered surprises I'd forgotten I'd planted or that I thought wouldn't regrow.

One of the best things about being a wild-flower/bulb person, however, is that even in terrible states of neglect, something will grow and bloom and shine, and I'll have some pictures up later of those.