In the Spring, we put down organic soil conditioner and mushroom compost, but I honestly don’t know if the soil is in great shape. I did some research and the weed that I am constantly fighting is called spotted spurge. That would be awesome to see that chart! :)

You can actually tell a lot about the condition of your soil by which weeds like to come up and how well they thrive. I’ll find the chart and post it. It makes weeding a little more fun and anything that makes weeding easier or more fun is a blessing.

For example, harvest parsley and garlic for a salad, do a little weeding around them while I’m at it, cut the weeded flower heads over old book pages in a compost to stain them, make the salad, compost the scraps, have dinner in the garden and contemplate the design of something there, happen to notice a rose bush needs pruning, prune the bush, throw the clipping and petals in the compost, think about petals, trim some nasturtium flowers and throw those in the salad, make some coffee, fertilize a shrub or two with the grounds, drink the coffee, etc. etc. :)

There are three of us (my husband and my mother) interacting with the various gardens and I’d say that we all do something out there every day. I could easily spend a few hours in the garden a day and often do just that, either in one stretch or in small increments. It doesn’t seem like work to me though.

I wish we were coming there now as well. We will be there for more than a few days if you like next year. Plans have changed, though, and we’ll be in the states in July. I’ll email you about that. :)