Temptation - Restraint - Temptation - Restraint?

"I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it." Mae West

Since last Thursday we have been busy creating additional beds in the yard.  We just couldn't stop ourselves and it was nice outside.  We had no idea where we would grow this year's potatoes.  Initially we had considered not putting them into the ground...growing them in containers seemed a good idea.  We successfully grew a few potatoes in containers on our deck in Langley but the operative word is "few".  This year we ended up with 5 varieties of potatoes to grow - Satina, Burbank Russell, Blue Russian, Red Cranberry and Yukon Gold (there seems to be a theme of no restraint on our part).  So...Barry starting removing sod and digging again. 

Unfortunately, potatoes are root veggies and don't consider billions of rocks as good planting companions.  Barry has been 'sifting' through the 'soil' (thanks Al for lending us your soil sifter) and we have been finding innovative ways to use rocks.  As we only are borrowing the soil sifter, today Barry bought the materials to make us one.   We also created a smaller double bed just outside the big gate. 

Originally this bed was created to grow two varieties of corn; fortunately I checked the deer resistant crops list and now we are going to grow our onions in one section of this bed.  Another root crop so...I'm manually removing the rocks from here. 

Barry would like to grow the corn in the new, large, odd-shaped bed in the foreground.  (He won't have to dig and sift as much for this bed).  We added a circular bed behind the cherry tree and a rounded square bed near the fruit cocktail tree (left side of picture).  Barry used some of the sod to build up and level in behind the herb bed (1/2 circle bed near Buddy).  We wanted to improve the grass in this area so Barry seeded but within minutes the neighbourhood pidgeons were snacking on it. 

We have increased the width of the bed that backs onto Al's property and transplanted most of the flowering plants growing there.

With these additions, I believe we decided that we would stop creating further new beds this year.  We'll see!  Did I mention we hope to grow 13 types of beans, 7 types of tomatoes, 5-7 types of squashes - you get the picture.  I say it again, we have no self restraint!