Today I cultivated the weed patch known as “Prairie Dog Town”. This large area behind the house is where the garlic beds are (2nd year) and a large semi-circular planting area sown this year with potatoes, kale and beans. Maybe a squash if I can’t stick to my vow to plant no squash this year.

It’s a tricky area, on the east side of the house and halfway under a large tree. It gets a lot of shade starting at noon. I’ve been hesitant to develop it for anything because our long-term remodeling plan sites a back patio, raised herb garden, cooking and garden sink there. This has left a large swath of barren ground where I must battle weeds all season.

Today I threw white clover seed over the whole area, including the potato and bean patch. I did a surface broadcast just before a light rain. Tomorrow I’ll toss a light mulch of straw on top. With luck, this will bring up a dense nitrogen fixing crop. Since we likely won’t build the porch for a few years, I can either turn this into a shade garden with the improved soil, or continue to let the clover come back and cut it down for composting.

Also sowed a stand of alfalfa and amaranth where I need some soil improvement along the fenceline, and a bit of black mustard as a flea beetle trap crop.

Potatoes are sprouting, I see I never entered them as sown in my database here.

Good news is that I got that whole back patch cultivated without a shoulder flare. This on top of a successful day yesterday, and I’m feeling much more confident about getting through this season without reinjury. Now I just need to make myself keep up with the regular therapy exercises at home.

Tomorrow: weather permitting, cultivate the orchard. It is horribly, ugly overgrown with weeds.