Humble Beginnings

Finally, I've decided I can start planning my vegetable garden this year and get started. This year's garden will be different than years before. I rent now, so any additions I put in the ground this year have to be cheap, and temporary. I don't know if I'll be here next season, so it doesn't make sense for me to invest money in garden space. Up until about a few weeks ago, I wasn't sure if I'd be here this season. And while I think I will be, it's still not settled in it's entirety. I hate living this way.

Anyway, my preferred method of gardening is raised bed gardening. It's where I've had the best success, but this year I don't have raised beds, and it doesn't make sense for me to build them.
So here's where I started. It's been rainy here in Maryland for, oh..ever. This bed was difficult to maintain last year. We moved in May, and everything had already started growing, weeds, and whatever else was in this bed. Now was the perfect time to pull out everything while the ground is wet, and things haven't popped back to life.

This bed at one point I've been told was a Koi pond. I think the plastic base of the pond has been removed, and this area was just filled in with dirt. I'm not sure why anyone would do that, I guess from a landlord's point of view it makes sense. I guess. There are small trees growing in the bushes, and last year I tried to pull stuff out but ended up with a rash from the hemlock that was growing in there.  It was awesome.

I haven't fully decided how to best use this space.  The sunlight here isn't great because it's so close to the house.  It will get a few hours of direct sunlight in the summer, it gets almost none right now in the winter.

This is the pile of weeds I pulled out of the koi pond bed.  It's next to another bed that needs help, but it's not as bad as the koi pond was.  Hey look, there's a tree there.

So, for now, I will hoe out the rest of the stuff, transplant the flowering bulbs and probably put them in the front yard.  Fertilize the soil, and very possibly cover it with a weed block.  I'm starting some of my cold weather crop seeds this week.  Give them a few extra weeks to grow before putting them in the ground.  Things I'm going to start include, Kale, Cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbage.  I also will be starting carrots, but those go directly in the ground.

Anyone else really feeling the need to get out and play in the dirt?