I Dig Dirt or the Story of a Haphazard Garden

There's nothing like a few seedlings, some brightly colored seed packets, and a freshly tilled garden plot. I know, I KNOW! I live in the burbs. I couldn't possibly have a room for a garden. But, I do. And it's been both antagonizing and providing me great joy for the nine years that I've lived here.

We moved into this house in the fall which gave me some time to really settle in the house. As Spring dawned, I had had plenty of time to dream about the yard. As we had moved, nine times in seven years, I was ready to really to put down roots (pun intended)! So, I planned the garden for a good part of the winter.

D did the muscle work and even provided my garden with a picket fence and a gate that swung out on a somewhat squeaky hinge. And so began my love and sometimes hate of gardening. I planted an odd little assortment of vegetables and weeds. And I learned a few things that summer. Like the fact that raccoons know just when to harvest your corn just before it's ripe enough for human consumption. I also learned that no matter where it's grown or with how much love, a rutabaga will not be consumed by D or Young One.

That's OK. I loved my little garden. I planted herbs and flowers around it's border. It was a lot of work and as the summer went on, I tended to miss more weeds. Thankfully, the first frost came just as I was ready to throw in the towel.

And that's pretty much been the pattern of my gardening. Ask me about my veggies in the fall and I'll probably say, "I'm never doing this again." But, then winter comes and the blank, grayness of the landscape starts to get to me. And winter stretches out beyond my ability to cope. And those dang seed catalogues come. And I start thinking about... GREEN! And the cycle starts all over again.

I spent today digging in the dirt and my back is feeling it tonight! I planted zucchini, pole beans, asparagus beans, broccoli, kohlrabi, tomatoes, potatoes, leeks, onions, carrots, radishes, and rutabagas. My goal is to really tend it this year. And, hopefully, I can inspire Young One to join me. Maybe, he'll even eat some of it!

Peace.