I’m fairly certain I’ll have trouble moving tomorrow. 

My garden muscles have been as dormant as our raised beds. But this being the first nice weekend with nothing in the agenda meant I needed to get things started.

I limbered up some by cleaning up the hydrangea and tie up a droopy butterfly bush while Ben beat back the weeds around the garden beds. We built the beds last year out of wood he found in the discount binds at Home Depot and Lowe’s. We had enough for 3 beds roughly 4×10-12 for under $20. Our big investment was in the soil. A few beds of “super soil” from the local nursery.

Getting started this year meant a great deal more clean up than creating. I’m not the best at clean up. But the beautiful weather made it easier.  Luke was eager to help and was my grub catcher. I found I ton of these fat milky white things in the beds. This really concerned me because they really didn’t look friendly like the earthworms at all. I am nervous about planting in the beds and that they will ruin my plants. I never saw them last year. Ben suggested something to put in that will kill them but then that makes me wort about killing the earthworms and then what might it leave in the ground for my plants. That fine line of having a good harvest as well as having a clean harvest. Luke and I diligently put them in the wheelbarrow for the chickens to feast upon. They will all go to sleep with full wiggly stomach after their grub buffet.

But to top the garden critter scavenger hunt would be the nest of baby bunnies. We were working in the last bed. Raking the straw back and turning over the dirt. When I noticed a patch of loose soil moving. At first I figured it was a giant earthworm feverishly working his way back underground but, the soil kept moving and with more force than I could rightly attribute to an earthworm. I did the only smart thing and sent for Ben of course. I’m not a fan of things that scurry or slither. So even though I was armed with some heavy duty implements I did really want to have to use them. 

He moved this around with the end of the how until we heard a high pitch yelp. Which yes I must admit sent me running down the walk. What we uncovered were the baby bunnies. 

Maybe 5 in all. We covered them back up and I placed the brush and straw back over the spot. Ben said he had noticed some other rabbits around and from what I read online and through a trusted friend I’ve done the only thing I really could. So while I hope everything turns out ok with the bunnies, it has put a damper on my garden prep.

I’m excited to get growing and to check off my accomplishments in my SmartGardener.com journal. I’m way behind on my timing but I’m good at catching up.