#GardenMuse

Day after day, it seems the time spent in my vegetable garden harvests such an abundance of similes that I find myself, hands dug deep in the dirt, grinning ear to ear.

 

Happy young corn and potato plants in their eastern fully sunlit location. 

I don't hear a new life's purpose calling me right now, though there have been several over all my 63 years. But I do have the feeling of being in the right place, growing where I am planted. And, while I grow vegetables to feed my family (and the birds, squirrels, and Iguanas), the feels are that there is much for me to learn while these old hands are buried in the warm soil, planting seeds and tending their young seedlings.

 

Some are wholly independent and do very well on their own. First to my mind is Celery. All by itself, it grows strong, straight, and tall. All I do is add water when there isn't rain. The Pole Beans are requiring more attention. The beans should be picked daily so that it knows to keep producing. Various little bugs nibble at the leaves so I spray them with a gentle soapy water, onion & garlic mixture. Beetles attack the Cucumber plants, so my hands travel their leaves nearly every day, picking off the beetles and moving them to a location far away from the gardens.

 

Tomato plants struggle against cutworms and the scary hornworm. It is easy to see the cutworm damage as they leave trails on the leaves. Since those leaves will wither and die, I prune them back regularly, allowing the plants to take nutrition to their most prolific parts. The hornworm scares the daylights out of me! I mean, have you ever looked one in the face? Those horns are real! It takes every bit of courage I can muster to pick one off the plant using the lip of my jar. Yes, I know they turn into beautiful moths and butterflies, but I don't think I'll ever get over being freaked out when I have to deal with one. Yet, if I don't, my crops can be destroyed overnight.

Some days I study healthy tomatoes. At times I decide to leave them another day or so to fully ripen on the vine. Yet, I am hesitant to do that because of the real possibility the fruit might not be there in the morning. Even my dogs are known to join the other critter thieves picking tomatoes they can reach!

Then there are days when a particular vegetable plant has exhausted itself with growing and producing, when it has lost most of its leaves and color, and when it seems to have no further purposes. So I gently pull it from the dirt and relocate it to the generous compost pile. I feel satisfied thinking of all the food it provided and that now it can rest, decomposing into food for new plants. 

HERE is an informative composting article.

Nearing the end of their season.

THE CIRCLE OF LIFE