I Couldn't Help Myself

I went into the grocery store without a cart, because I only needed 3 things...  


However, I'd just picked up some black sunflower seeds to fill our new bird feeder, and also got some wild bird seed -- for which I happened to have no appropriate feeder. So I started my shopping in the outdoor area.  I found one.  

Reminded by the blooms and greenery all around me, I recalled the several sad and empty pots I had at home. I found a cart and put in a huge bag of potting soil and 6 potted plants: sage, stevia, 2 peppers, and 2 tomatoes.


While picking those out, I saw starts of zucchini, cucumber, and corn... which brought to mind that sunny, south side of the house, where I'd always dreamed of seeing stalks of corn and other sun-loving crops that hadn't been so successful in my garden boxes. 


You can tell I was shopping kid-less, because I had too much time to think!


I had crossed gardening off my list this year... and for a few good reasons:

• My green house is still in poor shape and still partly shading my garden boxes, which have soil that needs improvement.  I needed Hubby to help do something about those problems, and he just doesn't have the time.  

• As part of the garage addition, as I've mentioned before, we want to reorganize the front yard.  This will include some excavation and moving the garden boxes to another area of the yard.  Since we hoped that would happen before harvest-time, there seemed no use in doing major planting in the boxes.

• I added up the cost of new seeds and new starts I wanted for this year's garden and wasn't certain that with the dirt and garden situation as it is, I'd produce enough to make up for the initial expense.

• I felt like there is enough going on around here that gardening just didn't need to be, and couldn't be, a priority this year.

But the daydreams and the veggie seeds were calling to me.  I LOVE growing our own food.  There is nothing much better than grazing through my garden on a warm, summer day, or picking a bowlful of absolutely fresh, and vitamin-filled veggies for the family's dinner.  


I decided that even if I have to dig out a narrow row of lawn myself, I will plant to take advantage of that wonderful southern exposure, where the foundation and side of the house will reflect that warmth even more.   Thinking about it more, I hope to get some 12 by 2 foot boxes put together to create the best environment and opportunity for success.  That won't be cheap, so we'll see.

I'll be planting corn with beans, a couple types of squash, lemon cucumbers, and more basil gathered around the stalks.  I might head back to a couple of my sunniest existing boxes to punch in a few beet and carrot seeds, among the volunteer potatoes and herbs.  (Knowing how things happen around here, the excavation that will destroy those boxes probably won't happen before fall anyway.)  







Who knows, between my various container gardens and the new, sunny strip, I may have a better harvest than ever!