Gardening

Why do I garden? My hands need the earth. They do. They long to get into it fully. I don't use gloves and my hands look bad by now but I don't care - I want nothing between my skin and that heavenly stuff. So, the process alone is worth it. Sometimes that is really all of it because although I'm passionate I'm not the best of gardeners. I hate thinning so everything comes up small and twisty - this year I've used seed tapes for such things as radishes and carrots and already I've gotten better results. And results, although clearly not as important as process to me, can be pretty satisfying. The oldest perennial bed is looking lovely - crazy amounts of forget-me-nots, the daylilies ready to shine, bachelor buttons and irises and small brave columbine. It is higgely-piggely but that is my desire.

Results in the vegetable garden will take longer to assess. Last year was the first year for the vegs on this property and I was thrilled - oh the chickens got most of the silly pumpkins and squashes that tried to run out of the garden and the tomatoes were a total failure but my only goal last year was to get the thing dug and enclosed. I'm so far ahead this year - I have already eaten radishes and lettuce heads are forming. The peas and beans are being kinda slack-a-doodle but that's OK. I planted tomatoes from seed and just put those plants out on the 24th. I have been pinching back the blossoms on the strawberries as instructed. It goes against my instincts but I'm doing it. I just tucked wood shavings in around the strawberries and on the path between the beds. Hope the wind doesn't blow it all away.

The basil plants are coming along nicely - I'm not putting them out until it is warm warm warm. I have enough for three gardens so some I'll put in the beds, some I'll put in planters outside and some I'll keep inside on the kitchen windowsill for quick pesto moments.