Upon retirement I engaged in many new activities including gardening. There is something magical about digging in the soil, planting seeds, chatting with seedlings then watching expanding plants daily as I look forward to tasty treats.
The first year went fantastically with lots of corn, tomatoes, and potatoes, to mention just a few delicious items. The second year I extended to add lettuce and salad bowl specialties like green onions and radishes.
During some of the winter seeds had intermixed which provided me with the opportunity for a “free-for-all” salad bowl, a variety of greens with other veggies mixed in for ideal dining pleasure.
For the third summer, I hoed and furrowed, found seeds and small plants, stuck everything in the ground with a generous drink of water. As sprouts appeared and things began to take shape, I smiled with anticipation of a lovely harvest.
Then one weekend our kids came to town with their dogs (no grandkids at that time). The pups pranced and rambled around the backyard and when we prepared to set out for dinner, Lynn locked the pet menagerie in what had formerly been a dog kennel.
Unfortunately, the kennel also served as my garden and because I was unaware of the current doggie lockdown, we headed out. Arriving home after dinner the dogs were set free and I walked out for the evening watering. Surprise!
Plants and mud were strung everywhere in a medley that was impossible to sort or to even consider replanting. With tears, I hung up my trowel and gloves and abandoned this pursuit.
A few days later Lynn decided he’d try his hand at the garden. He rearranged debris, created his own watering system, planted, and eventually we had vegetables to eat. I might have refused the abundance in sadness and dismay; however, quick-growing lettuce and a fresh zucchini are nearly impossible to reject. Vowing to never attempt a garden again, I munched and waited for more delights to grow.
Lynn has continued with his gardening fun and he is dedicated to the cause. Early morning finds him ridding plants of squash bugs and harvesting whatever is ready for a meal. He rotates with a couple of other spots around the yard to avoid reducing important minerals. I have moved onward and am now a container gardening convert.
My sister Marilyn, a WSU Master Gardner, has guided me as have her friends who also participate in the yearly Cabin Fever presentations where a fountain of hands-on knowledge abounds.
With containers, limited space permits full advantage of area efficiency. I can move the containers according to sunlight requirements or when vacation necessitates the sprinklers for daily doses of H20.
Weeding is a breeze as there is little space for intruders and replanting is simple when a plant is exhausted for the season or our dog takes to tasting emerging buds. It is also easy to intersperse flowers to brighten the container selection, especially flowers like marigolds that also deter bug invaders.
Last year we enjoyed carrots, radishes, and herbs in two long, not very deep planters. Peppers were prolific as were cherry tomatoes and even some cucumbers and pumpkins.
The latter two spread out across the grass or pavement and enjoyed the freedom of lots of room. The peppers are rampaging again this year – a little hot but not too, they are perfect for pickled peppers from a recipe that requires a few minutes of slicing and a few more minutes of quick cooking. I still have not determined which peppers are hot, hotter, and the hottest, but never mind. I love them all. It clears the sinuses!
I have three pepper plants this summer. Two produced peppers almost before I was prepared to pick them. The third had been on its way with steady growth until Kat, our German shorthair dog, nipped off every flower and most of the leaves and branches.
Why, I do not know, and fortunately she only chewed on that single plant. It has recovered although the peppers on it have grown in odd shapes. Good science project: Why are some peppers perfectly shaped while others appear to have bite marks around the edges? Just a thought…
I am considering raised beds next summer. That way I can plant more and still have control of the weeds. I’ll need to improve my watering system plus find better methods to attend to plants when I am gone. On second thought, maybe I’ll leave it all to Lynn.