Historically May has been my least productive month. I prematurely convinced myself that it is close enough to winter that I might as well just settle down in the warmth and cosiness of indoors and wait for things to get better outside. The thing is, May isn’t really that bad in the grand scheme of things and it should really be spent finishing off projects and getting things ticked off the ‘to do’ list, while we still can. Winter may seem like a long drawn-out season, but each year I’m almost surprised by how quickly it comes to an end, so not a moment should be wasted as there are always things to do. So, for the last few years I have challenged myself to #MayMayCount and get stuff done.
This year we aren’t off to a great start. There is an ‘atmospheric river’ flowing through the nation right now and the extended weather forecast only has big black rainy cloud icons for the next ten days. That is a third of the month! And goodness knows what lies beyond the outer reaches of the extended forecast. I’m either going to have to get creative or embrace my red raincoat or May won’t count for anything!
If I’m optimistic there seems like there could be gaps in the rain according to the 48-hour forecast, so I’m going to have to be a bit flexible with my planning and seize these opportunities between the outpours to make any kind of progress. As soggy as it is, I doubt it would rain solidly for 30 days and 30 nights! So, I shall write my lists as though it will be ok.
This week I have a couple of goals – finish tackling my weedy areas, and get my cover crops in. I have been working hard on the weedy areas, as it really doesn’t take much for things to get out of control. I’ve been away a lot already this year and there are several major events on the calendar that will take me away again. It isn’t just the away time that causes problems but the before and after prep and catch up that causes deep neglect if it is allowed to take priority.
My handy helper and I have been doing some deep work in the garden over the last while and have made great progress, but we aren’t there yet. The key to staying in control is each week is to go back over the work already done before getting into the big jobs. This is where my sector system is working well. Each day I set the timer for one hour and take care of the needs of one of the five areas in the garden, whipping out tiny weeds, hoeing the paths and anything else that needs attention. If there is still time on the timer then I move on to a bigger job. I’m pleased to say progress is being made with the aim that some time soon there will be no big jobs left and the whole garden will just need a quick tickle.
The cover crops are more of a worry. I should have done it last month and I have no excuse. And now with all the rain I worry that the seeds will rot in the ground. I’m toying with the idea of putting a tarp or something over the bed to protect the seeds from excessive rain and from creatures like birds and rodents who are out in full force looking for an easy meal. I think that is what I’ll do… Before the end of the week.
I could write a massively long ‘to do’ list, but I don’t want to scare myself off. The last thing I need is for procrastination to set in. And I’m only looking at an hour in the garden each day except three on Tuesdays with my Handy Helper that wonderfully turns into six hours between the two of us. I think 10 hours a week in the garden at this time of year isn’t unreasonable. That leaves the rest of my time for computer gardening. To make sure I stay on top of all of my commitments, I need to move everything forward together, spending a little bit of time on each one, so no project gets left behind in a panic. If I get this right, I have plenty of time for everything.
Making May count this year seems to have its own set of challenges compared to previous years, but I’m up for it! If you find May a bit sluggish, then join me in #MakingMayCount and we’ll all get stuff done!
Come again soon – things are about to get busy!
Sarah the Gardener : o)
Is this ‘atmospheric river’ a new concept for your region, or is it merely a new designation for a weather pattern that happens every few years or so? The atmospheric river that went through here last winter was the most extreme since 1982, but is otherwise nothing new.
I think the word ‘storm’ has been overused recently so they had to get creative. But actually I think it is a thing, the reports say it is a subtropical low moving south bringing periods of heavy rain and easterly gales. It has once again caused chaos and damage to our already sodden land. : o)
South?! Easterly?! hmmmm, . . . I think I get it.