Our Iffy Gardens

It is always nice to see our gardens take shape in May - my "main"garden down in the raised beds that I built several years ago, and Martha's "backup"garden up on the deck, protected on high from deer and rabbits.  The time to plant gardens in this part of Western North Carolina is not before May 15; otherwise a late frost can arrive overnight and put a swift end to early planting.  Although a little early, the temperatures looked good for the next week, so last week we set out most of our plants.  

I planted red bell peppers, tomatoes (several varieties), zucchini, and blue lake green beans in the raised beds, which after several years contain loose soil amended with composted fall leaves that don't even need tilling.  I expect them to do well if I erect the deer netting around the raised beds, if it doesn't rain too much this summer, and if I can keep slugs under control with "Sluggo," a product that always reminds me of that old cartoon strip that only we old-timers still remember.

But what's in a name?  Sluggo, tiny pellets that bait and kill slugs and snails, is very effective if I distribute it in time.  There are a lot of other "ifs" in the sentence before, but it is well worth the effort.  Of course, we realize we could buy fresh vegetables all summer at August Produce, but where's the fun in that?  Is there anything better than a tomato grown in your own garden?

Martha's backup garden takes place in several very clever planters known as "Grow Boxes," which you can fill with water so that they water the plants (mostly herbs) below, from the roots,  She ordered six new ones this year, and has planted them with the herbs that make our summer cooking so wonderful - basil, parsley, chives, and rosemary.  She has also planted some roma tomatoes, green beans, and summer squash.  My garden, exposed to the elements and the predators, is not always reliable, but her backup garden rarely fails.

So we have planted, fertilized, and watered.  And now we wait to see, in that "if" of the gardener's held breath, what happens this season.  In the best of conditions, we will be rewarded with that most wonderful gift, real produce from our own gardens.  And if it fails, we have at least gotten some dirt under our fingernails and experienced the age-old wonder of sowing seed and cultivating and hoping for the magic of growth.