Inch by Inch, Row by Row, Gonna’ Make This Garden Grow*
It was a bright sunny day. The temperature was on the chilly side for this early in April, but it was still warm enough for Herman to be out in his cooperative share garden to work and try to get some seeds planted for the upcoming year. It looked like the garlic he had planted last fall had taken and that he would have a good crop this year. As he was digging away, his friend/nemesis Otto happened to pass by.
“Why do you waste your time each year trying to plant vegetables when you know that very few of them will flourish?” Otto remarked. “ Even when your plants flourish, it’s a waste. Remember last year’s garlic crop? You actually got a good number of bulbs and what happened? You didn’t store them properly and they all dried out before you could use them all. That’s 2 years in a row for garlic!”
“Think of the plants that do produce,” Herman replied, “those homegrown tomatoes were great. And you don’t get peas like that in the supermarket. It takes a little effort to plant and care for this garden, but the rewards of having food that you’ve produced yourself are worth it.”
Otto held back a laugh. “Definitely worth it…if you are a mole, or rabbit, or just some passerby that sees an unprotected garden 
ripe for the picking. Remember that edamame you planted last year, moles loved that. And how about the string beans and squash? That was the best and tastiest; ask any of the squash bugs and bean beetles, they loved killing your plants. Oh, and don’t forget the butternut squash you planted that bugs didn’t get; You watched them grow until it was just about picking time and someone else beat you to it. So much for community sharing.”
On this, Herman agreed. “Yeah, those were very frustrating plantings, but each helped us adjust our plantings the following year. No beans, no squashes or edamame this year. We’re looking different plants to try. Some of our plants do well each year. We’ve had success with turnips, beets, peas, and tomatoes.”
“Turnips and beets work because no one else will eat them. Your peas only work during the spring crop; the late summer crop is always sparse. As to your tomatoes, the only ones you’ve had success with were the rogue ones that grew up out of your compost soil. No one knows where those seeds came from, and you didn’t have to do anything except thin them out. With all the local farm stands around here, wouldn’t it be easier just to buy the finished product rather than take all that time and effort to grow your own?”
Herman was steadfast in his opinion. “Yes, it would be easier, but it wouldn’t be mine. Food tastes so much better when you grow it and cook it yourself. If I had my way I would have my own garden at home, where I could fence it in and protect all of the work I do. Unfortunately there too many trees and not enough space to grow plants.”
As Otto was leaving he left his final thoughts.”And, it would make great salad bowls for the local deer population. Whatever floats your boat. I, personally, will continue to buy my fruits and vegetables from farm stands and supermarkets. A lot less work for me and more time to do the things I want to do. I’ll be going home now; there’s that new series on Netflix I need to binge watch.”
Love all of these. Great posts.
Susanne Living the dream