Green Stuff
I am a PUH-thetic gardener. I try every year to grow a bounty of herbs, and at that I am fairly successful. Flowers, I’m so-so. But vegetables, well…not so much.

This is a picture of my herb garden, at 10 days old.

It's somewhat....limited. I plant basil every year because I love it. The rosemary is new, because I lost my large, lovely, aromatic plant to the cold, cold winter.

This is my pot of chives.  They are lovely, hardy, and bloom early, year after year, with no help from me whatsoever.  

And these are pictures of my neighbor’s vegetable garden, shot from over the backyard fence.

Much more impressive, right? I’m including them here just to illustrate the possibilities. Gwen knows how to own her land, to nurture the growing things in her backyard, whether they’re children or lettuce plants. It’s fun to watch.  Daisy the German shorthair is also fun to watch, when she's out gamboling across the yard with the kids, tossing her nose skyward in joy.  Kids and dogs-- they're good for the soul.

Anyway, as I said, gardening is not my forte, although I have grown some fine children. But I keep trying, even when (like this year) all signs seem to be screaming at me to GIVE IT UP!! We’re suffering through a very cold, wet spring. I use the word ‘suffering’ loosely, considering the nasty weather rolling across the rest of the country. We’re not really suffering. We’re very comfortable, snug in our beds every night with plenty of clean water and a roof over our heads. But we are waiting – waiting, waiting, waiting – for our traditional spring weather to arrive. We have an asparagus crop, thank goodness. But we have no cherries. The hay and alfafa (which I don’t eat, so I don’t really miss, but still) is at least a month late. Potatoes? Well behind schedule. Onions? Missing in action. Melons? Dunno. Wait and see, I guess.

And tomatoes! Weather around the country has driven the price sky high. So I decided to try, one more time, to grow tomatoes at home. In a pot. In the courtyard, which is the only spot in the yard that gets all-day sun and is not filled with a swimming pool or patio.

The delicate yellow flower you see here was already present when I bought this plant. The information card promised fruit in 60 days. That is what sold me. Historically, I can remember to water my plants until the beginning of August, when I am overwhelmed by the rapid approach of summer’s end. I’m always behind schedule. The first of August is about the time I begin to plan the family vacation. Most people book theirs in March. This explains our lame family vacations. Anyway, fruit in 60 days means fruit before I am likely to kill the plant. That’s a good plan.

The information card also said “no staking,” even though said card was tucked right next to a sturdy green stake. So the information card might, just might, be inaccurate. But we’ll know in about 50 days. I’ll keep you posted.