First Planting 2006

Or, "Oh my goodness...I have become my father!!!" - OK, last year was my first spring/summer in my dad's old house. As you recall from yesterday's story, I bought the house when it became too much for him to take care of. Now, why I thought it wasn't too much for me to take care of is a good question. And another story. Last year, I thought....

"Wouldn't it be nice to grow some tomatoes in Dad's small patch" - and take them to him. It would kind of be like his legacy lives on. He already had worked a little 6x12 foot spot for years. The soil had plenty of mulch and loose dirt. It didn't take too much work. This was necessary because...

I had never grown a plant in my life!!! - and it wasn't like I was looking for things to do. So, I planted about 6 tomatoe plants, 4 bell peppers, a couple of cucumbers, and a few jalapeno peppers. The tomatoes did quite well. The bell peppers suffered. I got one cucumber. The jalepeno's, however, were the success of the year. I dug a hole in the existing lawn. They fought off the encroaching lawn roots and poor soil preparation and turned into a bumper crop. I know it had nothing to do with me.

So, what do I do this year??!!?? - I till up the entire back patch to create 4 times the space!!! What am I? Nuts? Well, read the title of the blog. Anyway, here is the start that I am off to in weekend one of planting:

2 cherry tomatoes
4 bell peppers
2 strawberries
2 jalapenos
1 misc "wonder" pepper

Now before you say, "what a piker...get off the lard side and get some work done," let's re-visit yesterdays tilling and raking of this patch. I think we are talking 15 by 40 feet here.....and I got other things to do on the weekend as well.

Why didn't I listen to the guy when he asked, - "is one bag of Miracle Grow potting soil enough?" I don't think it was a question. Unplanted at the moment is:

2 cucumbers
2 different basil

Here is what I know is coming:

2 early girl tomatoes
2 beef steak tomatoes
1 watermelon (just for grins)
2 zucchini (because I love them and I hear they grow like a weed)

Dear readers, I ask - is there something else missing? I have the room. I am not crowding anything this year.

And, in the meantime - why on earth am I becoming my father? Could it be that I get enough of people through work and my basic social contact that I want to spend time in the garden? Is this man's urge to go out and kill something to eat (I'm not a hunter or a fisherman)?

I know what is going to happen next - I am going to name the plants. I just know it. After seeing some of them die last year, I realized that these plants are going to struggle.....just so they can put food in my gullet! How can I not root for them?!?

Besides, naming the plants is crazy - and I am starting to appreciate craziness more and more as I see much of my world remove humanity and try to resort to pure logic.