The vegetable garden

Today I'll write about my beautiful garden which is growing so fast that I can't believe it. Today I was determined to weed it for the first time, so I did and I was so pleased. The corn has sprouted (the big corn plants you see in the back were not much smaller than that when I bought them). The tomatoes have finally overcome a wet start, the same wet start that got the broccoli off to a great start, so great that I noticed the first little broccoli head peeking out of the leaves.

Weeding also meant thinning, which makes me a bit sad because these seeds, which overcame the odds and sprouted in my untested soil, well... only some of them could make it. I probably plucked out two thirds of the radish sprouts and almost half of the arugula. The butter lettuce seeds are too small to thin yet, but hopefully within a week I can halve those too. The strongest three or four zucchini plants on each hill made it, but I'll probably have to pluck more of them from the earth too. The corn plants are a bit small for thinning, but it's coming.  The onions carrots are just breaking through the soil -- my celery is a no-show, but that one was risky anyway.

The sunflower seeds are always fun to observe -- sometimes the seed husks pop up to the surface. The peppers might not make it, but I don't have the heart to rip them out -- nor do I have the fortitude to remove my sad excuse for green onions. Of what I planted early, only the tomatoes and broccoli thrive. The watermelon plants are also an experiment and, really, it's too early to say. My basil (the second, actually) started strong but the leaves are a bit off. And my dill and cilantro died along time ago, which is utterly depressing because I really wanted to cut and dry fresh dill again this year.

Gardening is, in some ways, comforting. It is such a simple activity that is so terribly complicated -- and, in looking at all of the vegetables (and fruits) we planted, I can't help but think of what I'd plant next year -- potatoes! More herbs! More onions! Blueberry bushes! I'm not really sure how much more room I have, so perhaps I'll have to prioritize and eliminate what doesn't grow.

So I just weeded away, yanking the spry weeds from the cracked, dry earth -- then poured red scoopfuls of Miracle Grow into my two watering cans and gave them all a little something extra to help them grow. As I arranged the sprinkler in the middle of it and inhaled the smell of water on dusty ground, I had to smile. It was a great way to end the day.

xoxo
Sarah