How Does Your Garden Grow?
Back in March or April, Chris and I built a vegetable garden in our backyard.
Well, Chris built it really.
At the time I was almost eight months pregnant. Makes it hard to plant a garden. Or, like, move.
When we planted this garden, it was in early spring and the weather was finally starting to get warmer in Connecticut. Birds were singing. Flowers blooming. But our trees had no leaves on them yet.
“Uh, sweetie,” I asked Chris. “Don’t you think when all those leaves grow back on those trees in the backyard they might cover up the garden and block the sunlight from our wee plants? Sweetie? Sugar lamb? Dumplin’?”
Actually, I think my exact words were, “ARE YOU STUPID?!?!? THOSE LEAVE ARE GOING TO COVER THE GARDEN AND EVERYTHING IS GOING TO DIE!!! NOW GO FIX ME A CHEESEBURGER!!”
Remember. Eight months pregnant.
But Chris felt like the garden was in a great spot for sunlight and so he forged ahead. Much to his dismay, the garden was a dud. A total dud. The only thing that flourished in there were earth worms.
But being the considerate wife that I am, I never said “I told you so.” I just didn’t say anything at all. Not even when there were birds out in the yard and Chris would frantically ask if I thought maybe the birds were eating our vegetables. It took all my strength to not sarcastically snip, “Oh, yeah. The birds are eating our PLETHORA of homegrown vegetables.”
And Chris didn’t talk about it either. The garden became this silent black hole in our backyard that no one was brave enough to mention.
And then last week, Chris and I were out on the back deck, avoiding the Garden of Evil like always, when he sighed and said quietly, “I think I’m going to cover up that garden with sod.” And that was all we spoke of it.
So last weekend, Chris was out in the yard planning how to cover over his dud of a garden when all of a sudden he starts shouting for me to come look.
He had grown a cucumber! A giant, fat, round cucumber. He was so proud. He talked to that stupid vegetable for an hour.
And just when I was getting ready to make some joke about taking ALL summer to grow ONE round cucumber, Chris found another one!
So, I guess Chris was right all along. Our garden wasn’t a dud. It just needed a little time to get its act together. That’s probably why I could never be a gardener. I have no patience.
And I kill all living things that I care for (good luck, Beanie). Like this plant. I bought it two weeks ago and it was living and green and healthy. And now its…well…not.
Then again, maybe I didn’t kill it. Maybe it committed suicide because it knew what kind of life it was in for. Between Chris, Beanie, the dogs, and now our two cucumbers, I’ve got enough living things to take care of in my life. This plant never had a chance.
12 Comments
Jordan
We tried out our first garden this summer too. Many things were duds, but we did well with jelly bean tomatoes, basil, and jalapenos(ok, we’ve had 3 so far). We also planted cucumbers, and only 2 grew, and they were shaped funny so we thought something was wrong and we probably shouldn’t eat it. It makes me feel much better to know that your cucumbers look odd too! 🙂
Danimezza
lol poor planty but those weird looking cucumbers are pretty cool.
Last weekend I got into gardening mode AKA: stand, point and order hubby about (whilst 8 months pregnant) and I too fear for the pretty potted flowers hanging in the baskets.
Emily
Wow! That’s a really weird looking cucumber. I’ve never seen one like that before. I tried to do the garden thing but it didn’t work out, lucky for me we have a great vegetable stand about a mile from our house so I just buy my produce from the nice people that don’t speak English but have really good veggies. 🙂
kay
love the cucumber, it looks a bit like you in the above picture-8 mos prego!
i say keep on gardening. we have been shopping from our garden for 2 monthes and it is almost, i repeat almost, as satifying as birthing a baby. ok not almost, but it is rewarding. go chris
http://randommusingsfrommypov.com
Jenn
Don’t be too hard on yourselves. This year was a tough year for a garden in CT. You’d think all that rain we got would be good, but it really wasn’t. My tomato plants were all beat down from the heavy rains. It was not a good year for ours either. Give it another try next year!
Jenn
PS – that’s how my cucumbers looked too, so I THINK it’s normal.
Mindee@ourfrontdoor
Every year I think about planting a garden and then talk myself out of it because it’s too shady. Chris is blowing that argument. Tell him to knock if off.
Miriam
My garden drowned in the rains of June and July. Literally drowned. It turned into a swampy mushy mud pile. Then the sun came out and scorched what was little green was left. Oh and then the evil Japanese beetles showed up.
Needless to say next years garden will be run a little differently. But I bet mother nature will mess with that plan too 🙂
Kate
Ha! I know the feeling of the “dud” veggie garden. I had high hopes for ours as well. It’s given us a couple zucchini, a few tomatoes, and some funny looking cucumbers. Ours were little donut shapes… like “O”s instead of I’s. Weird.
Although it wasn’t necessary worth the financial investment, it kept me occupied for most of the summer, and I was pretty darn proud of those veggies we DID get.
The Rambling Housewife
In Chris’ defense, it’s been a terrible year for gardens. Really cool, too much rain. 🙂
Jessica
Oh how I understand the inability to keep things alive. I share the SAME misfortune… I’ve given all plant and green-keeping to Tim, my husband. I couldn’t even keep a CHIA plant alive… And those are supposed to be fail-safe.
erin
We built a garden a week before the baby was born. I had lofty ideas of getting dirt and filling it in and planting my tomatoes, et cetera. At nine months pregnant. YEAH RIGHT. Much to Brian’s glee, the garden has not yet been filled with dirt because, oh yeah, WE HAVE A BABY.
I am also a terrible plant mommy. My plants either decide to live or die at my house. If they choose to die, well, that’s their problem, not mine.