Gardening - Week 1

A couple of years ago, I spent the day double-digging my very large vegetable garden, with only the taste of all those fresh veggies as motivation. Unfortunately, critters got to the table first, and my dreamed-of bounty turned into a small pittance - some lettuce, a few green beans, and a melon or two. I spent the entire summer running out to the garden and getting annoyed that my not-quite-ripe fruits and vegetables had teeth marks in them. It was very stressful.

At the end of the summer, I begged Ed to dump grass seed on the garden so that I would not be tempted to plant it again. Because when a hobby becomes stressful, it's not a good hobby. I lived happily throughout the winter, with nary a thought about Spring vegetables. But damn if those seed catalogs didn't hit my doorstep right after reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I resisted mightily, tossing them quickly into the recycling bin as they pounded on my door daily. And then I found myself at a garden center and walked out with several seed packets. It's my weakness.

Connor planted bush beans amidst the front landscaping, and we have an odd square that's about 4 feet x 4 feet in the front of our home that we've used to grow basil in the past that I double-dug and then planted with lettuce, kale, brussels sprouts, carrots, and a few herbs. So far, no sign of life. But I've been preparing myself already for the rabbits and birds to feast, and have vowed to not get annoyed.

I also have a new fig tree and blackberry bush.

BRING ON SPRING!

Connor, doing the digging for the new fig tree, something I've dreamed about since moving into this house 2.5 years ago.

Elaine