It was Jon who got me into planting dahlia’s when we moved to the house over 5 years ago. We got our first bulbs at the Hubbard Hall Plant Sale which benefits the old Opera House in town. It’s the kind of plant sale where people dig up plants from their gardens, put them in plastic bags or cardboard boxes and we buy each other’s plants.
That first year we came home with two bushels of dahlias and every year since then, because the bulbs multiply, I’ve brought a bag of dahlia bulbs back to the plant sale.
I never wanted the burden of having to dig the bulbs up every fall and replant them in the spring. But once I began doing it, I found that I enjoyed it. So much that I’ve added some new varieties to our garden.
The dahlia garden, like most of the gardens at the farm, have become mine to plant. But Jon likes to do some gardening too. He does all the watering and today he helped move the donkey manure I’ve been collecting from the barnyard to my vegetable garden.
I’m going to mulch the garden this year for the first time.
Now that the manure is in, I’m going to cover it with a layer of old hay then put a tarp over that. I’m hoping the hay and tarp will keep the weeds from taking over the garden in the spring before I get to plant it.
From what I’ve read, this should work, but I’ll let you know what happens when I find out in the spring.
It will work fine. The weed seeds, some of them, will still germinate, but the cover will block the light and the seedlings cannot grow much. Cardboard will work, too, as will anything that will block sunlight.
It will help the soil if it can remain a bit moist. The bacteria that compost the manure and etc. need some moisture.
Oh thanks, Steve that’s good to know. I have plenty of cardboard, I think I’ll use that instead of a tarp. I appreciate your input.
Heavy layers of newspaper work too!
Ah good to know Thanks Carol!