Hands in the dirt / Utah Weather

I was finally able to get my hands in the ground today as it turned out to be nearly the warmest day of the year. I "stoked" the compost pile with some grass clippings that I saved from the last mowing of last year, some coffee grounds from Starbucks and some chipped up straw. I want to get it cooking again so I can have it finished by May and add it to the beds for the main planting that goes on around Mothers day. Also, I had gotten most of the plants out of the ground at the end of the growing season last year, but there were a few leftovers that were still in the ground around the beginning of December last year when everything got covered with snow and I never had a chance to get them out.

I was able to get into all 6 raised beds. I pulled the greens that were left in them and turned all of the soil over to allow it to get deep hydration and some air in there before I plant the early season stuff in them. I pulled some other stuff out too, but I'll post on that tomorrow.

I also was able to get my four dwarf and semi dwarf fruit trees (apple, pear and two cherry trees.) pruned. I usually get out to prune the trees a little earlier in the season, but this is the first chance that I've had. I didn't cut too much on the trees this year, just the basics of thinning and selecting branches. I hope to transplant the trees next year to a better location. Currently they're at the south end of our yard and regularly get in the way of the boys playing in the yard, or get messed with by the neighborhood kids since they sit right along the unfenced end of the yard near the sidewalk. I want to move them to our other unfenced area of the yard that is between ours and our neighbors yard and begin training them in the espalier method. I think it'd look nice, conserve space, and make a nice natural break between out yards; this would also reduce the ugliness of the vinyl fence that will no doubt be put up between us eventually. (Don't get me started on those.)

Last but not least. Right after I had finished in the yard, the wind began to kick up. I finished cleaning up and went in side and took the picture on the left. Not fifteen minutes later and the rain started. Here's what it looked like a half hour after that. Utah weather... Don't like it, wait a minute.