Sunday, August 20, 2006

>>>>> Gardening is considered by some to be a defeating enterprise...plants are to grow exactly the way the small little packets we purchase show...perfectly flowering, with the color matching the picture on the seed packet -- no wilted leaves, no curling flower petals -- everything is to look ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!! >>>>> and once outside in the garden, those who feel the effort is an encounter with defeat, find themselves looking at wilted plants...chewed stems...teeny-itty-bitty insects chewing everything that's suppossed to be growing...yet making plants DIE!! >>>>>

I've been mostly lucky-fortunate-all-together-glad that our garden hasn't had too many problems with growing...tho this year we have tried to grow green beans, but they have had a TIME of it...they're showing sign of stress from all the horrible hot weather we've been having...so the youngest has been giving them a gizzilion gallons of compost tea, hoping the beans will be making a comeback soon...Soaking the vegetables last night, I could see that some new leaves were developing, so there should be some sort of resurgance . The actual beans on the plants don't look too good...but some new blooms are popping up, and for that I'm grateful.

What's making up for the green beans, are of course, the Black-Eye-Peas....they don't seem to be showing any sign of stress, anger, or "I'm - Thru - With - The - World " attitude in the least. These have always been the kind of plants that, at least for me, easy to grow, have no problems with the heat, humidity or lack of rain. They just GROW -- Soaking them last night was actually fun -- The youngest had thot thruout last winter just how he was going to support these plants...what he ended up doing was jus' this side of genius ~~ He found some 2" or maybe 2 1/2" galvanized fencing that's 6' in height. Now ~~ the youngest cut lengths of this fencing to make something like tomato cages ~~ but these were for the Black-Eye-Peas -- an' also for the green beans. He & I looked at the hardware store for just the right type of fencing, because from past experience we knew the Black-Eye-Peas will get VERY tall, an' have the uncanny ability to pull over any cheezy fencing that's bought to "save money" ~~ In the case of these plants, it's WAY better to spend the extra $$ and get good wire fencing. We put together the cages, lined them up in the garden so that we could walk around each cage, when the plant was nearing full size (over 6' in height) and not break any stems that have an idea of reaching out to another fence nearby.

What's fun about watering these plants, and the neighboring green beans, is once you're inside the cages, it's very nearly a jungle...an' I discovered, even when there's a person walkin' down the street, your all but invisible inbetween the plants...the peas are taller than I am, they're also growing new and longer stems, and we've already canned up over a gallon & a half of 'em for the pantry. Standing in the garden with the plants all around me was a delight...the water cooled off the mulch covering the ground, and the soaking made the sweetest fragrance...that of earth, plants...that warm humus smell of a garden in it's prime. It almost made me forget that the green beans are pouting for the moment. An' of course, soaking the 'maters.....ahhh...nothing like the smell of growing tomatoes...there is really nothing else that can match the fragrance of a tomato...years ago there was a song about "Homegrown Tomatoes!!" ~~ an' every now & then it pops in my head when I'm in the 'mater bed...we planted marigold seeds saved from the past 2 years of plants...they've hybridzed (sp) themselves to look nothing like what the original plants were ~~ "Petite Small Marigolds" ~~ Now they've gotten to over 2 1/2' in height, nearly a foot around...an' soakin' up all the compost & water they can. Last year we had several in between the herbs -- we also had a VERY LARGE preying mantis living in the marigolds..never would get used to this thing poppin' up outta the plant when I'd be out watering....it'd stand on the branches of the marigold...wiping water off it's face...at over 3" in length, it wasn't something I wanted to get angry...well...they don't hurt people...but jus' the fact it was THERE....why bother something ---

Now it's time to go back out an' gather some more compost from the composter...the last batch of tea is gone...an' now some of the yarrow in the front yard is developing new side plants...so they need a good batch of compost tea...the resurrange of the foxglove is also SO nice...nezt spring it will be so big...but well worth all the trimming of other flowers to give it the space it needs....an' of course...soaking the tulip bed is just about the thing to do...give it a good dose now and let it muddle around thru fall & winter...

Lady of The Tulips ~~ who's wondering whether or not to buy more plants on sale....

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