Garden Calamities, Bad Kids and More Bad Dogs
7 to 10 days ago I planted a few rows of spring plants that are space-savers—ideal for my intensive gardening plan. These are also the plants that give you quick pay-off in terms of gardening—radishes, mesclun, rocket (aka arugula), spinach and carrots. All sprout quickly and can be harvested between 25-45 days. A super-speedy turnaround considering our beloved tomatoes can take up to 90 days to mature.
These quick-return crops have already started to show signs of life … this photo was taken on Monday, 7 days after they were planted.
See the little sprouts coming up … I have no idea what this is because I didn’t properly label my rows – oh well. I will be able to identify them once they get past the initial phase of sprouting.
Then Tuesday, I started writing this piece and decided to take photos showing progress. I went out to the garden to take photos, but there was evidence of a minor Garden Calamity.
A big dog print in my raised bed … I only planted half of one raised bed and that is the only place the dog tromped thru. Of course it’s right in the middle of a planted row.
I still didn’t get the story finished, so after work on Wednesday, I went to take another progress photo.
Then another Garden Calamity struck … usually when that happens it has to do with a bad dog. Yesterday it had to do with a kid … my 4-yr old son came into the house and declared: “I water momma’s flowlers. I help jew, mom.” I didn’t think a lot of it, but then walked out to see what he was talking about.
Holy Garden Calamity, Batman! I don’t’ think 4-yr olds understand that you can’t put the sprinkler wand/spray head thingy right up next to the seedlings. And this story has changed drastically since the initial draft, due to Garden Calamities.
More to come on tomatoes and spring gardening in North Texas… I’m dying to plant my tomatoes, but the old farmers say, “thunder in February, frost in April.” And we had thunder in February along with a frozen foot of snow and ice that cancelled school for a week. I’m going to wait a few more days on planting my tomatoes. Hopefully I can avoid future Garden Calamities.
The Arcadian Experience 