Growing season was about sharing

I made several mistakes this planting season. Duh.

Let’s start with:

- listening to everybody but the pros and my gut;

- planting tomatoes too close together even though I knew to plant two feet apart;

- planting cucumbers too close together (after awhile they become one property);

- planting too few onions, too soon, too close together;

- Not buying a heat lamp; (even though the beets and jalapeno peppers seeds were duds);

- Not building climbing terraces for the cucumbers and tomatoes waaaaay before I needed them;

- planting too many basil plants;

- Not planting garlic or bell peppers.

The mistakes above cost me time but not money or enthusiasm. And to be honest, even with the mistakes I mentioned above I still did a pretty good job of feeding others.

I thoroughly enjoyed sowing, but I really enjoyed reaping. I took pleasure in the comments from both family and friends when biting into crunchy cucumbers, chomping down on juicy tomatoes, going stark raving mad not only from the scent of the onions but the taste which was almost too much to handle.  We’re talking o-r-g-a-s-m here.

Did I mention the basil? The basil was on crack, growing like it couldn’t stop so we were almost forced to make the best pesto sauce this side of the Mississippi. Maybe I’m going a little far with this but the bottom line is - everything was fresh and tasty.

What have I really learned?

- I’ll plant raised garden beds in the future because stooping is for the young;

- When picking vegetables I’ll remember to pick the basil last because the smell is so permeating that every single critter flying and crawling will migrate toward the smell;

- Weather can make or definitely break a positive beginning and attitude;

- I won’t walk into the garden after it rains even though the ground looks dry.

Having the garden this year made me do some awesome things, like installing a cute little white picket fence that separates the garden from the yard – sooo cute! Or, like planting a coleus plant that seemed to have been waiting all its natural born plant life to be in the ground. After awhile even the weeds seemed to assist me by staying away.

 

Next year I hope to do it again.

Peace.

JoAnn