Gardening

When I went to get the mortar from HomeDespot I also picked up a couple of blackberry plantings. One I just stuck in one of my huge pots. The other I'm going to wait a few more weeks and plant in the ground along a fence.

My potato barrel (Instructions) has been left open to air out a bit. The potato crop from last summer has started to sprout so I put it in water to allow it to grow a bit more before they go in the barrel.

Last year's crop

Last year's seed potato.

I also got a package of watermelon seeds that require much less space than typical. I churned up some soil and planted them. Two groups in the ground and one in a pot. I may have to replant later.
This is the first year I've used the ground for gardening. I much prefer pots. I think I'm going to need to do a run to the hardware store for more pots.

Another pot is prepared for green beans, but I'm going to wait another month on those.

My prickly pear is doing well. Last summer's experiments in prickly pear cooking went poorly so I'm cutting back the crop to just the one plant and breaking off some of the growth that seems to want to drop off. This is a very hardy variety that looks good all winter long. If you want some just let me know. Otherwise I leave them on the cement to bake.
More on that at http://dougintology.blogspot.com/2006/07/camper-awakens.html

I also started tearing up more grass to allow the succulents in my front yard to spread. When I finally setup a green roof I'll be wanting to use this succulent ground cover as clippings. By then I should have enough to let it cover the roof in one summer and keep the yard looking decent. The hen and chicks I got from Grandma's yard get to go on the roof, too.