It has been absolutely gorgeous here in northern Alabama this week, and so I started to get busy a little earlier than I had planned. I mean, I've been staring at the garden location for hours now. I know that statement sounds kinda off, but when I start to think about the huge amount of day to day work that was required last year, I start to get second thoughts about going again this year. Between the constant grass and weed pulling, I rarely found enough time to just sit on the patio and enjoy the process. I figured out that I spent about twenty to thirty hours a week in the garden, and of course that was on top of a forty hour a week job. Excuse me if I come off as a little whiny and pensive, but that's just how I'm feeling today.
Luckily, I wasn't feeling that way a week or so ago, and so I started growing some of my plants from seed! I had a few leftover peat planters so, I went ahead and began growing sixteen tomato plants from seed. Yup, I said sixteen. They were the first veggies that I ran out of this winter, so I'm determined to grow a lot more than last year. I have really missed being able to walk a few feet and pick fresh dill and basil to toss in my dinner, so I went ahead and started those guys out with a little rosemary and oregano.
I have gone ahead and taken a week's vacation for this coming week to be able to till up those 1600 square feet in the backyard and begin this year's folly. Believe it or not, I really am looking forward to being outside, having dirt under my fingernails and ruining another few pairs of white socks. Oh, and I'm really looking forward to plucking a tomato off a vine and eating it while it's still warm from the sun! Definitely one of the best experiences one can have. If you've missed out, well......get started you lazy bastard! Go to Lowe's, spend $2.50 on a tomato plant, dig a hole about nine inches deep, and toss that thing in it. Water every couple of days, and get down on what I'm talking about in a couple months. Stop making excuses. This simple act is going to make you feel better about your life, make the world a better place, and ensure that we all have a part in what we eat. If you've got anything growing on, I'd love to know about it! If you want to borrow a shovel, just ask. I've got about five. Have fun, and I'll see you in a couple days-sunburned, sore back, and blisters on my hands. Woohoo!
Just to change it up...
What I've been reading-
The Old Gringo by Carlos Fuentes
House of Mist by Maria Luisa Gombal
The Great Dream of Heaven by Sam Shepard
True Grit by Clinton Portis
Angels by Denis Johnson
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Just planted a garden a few days ago, and I'm terribly excited about it. It's my first one!
ReplyDeleteI did onions, tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, okra, spinach, and broccoli and cannot wait until they mature. It rained pretty much the moment after I finished with the last plant, as if a sign from the heavens that it was the right decision.
I want to do some root crops (mainly carrots) soon too, but I haven't the slightest idea how to grow those. I'm going to have to do some consulting with my grandmother.
Good luck to you on yours!