This is what my garden looked like last spring… after three years of trial and error.
My first year as a gardener I planted everything….beans, corn, tomatoes, onions, zucchini, potatoes and every other vegetable I could find. But I didn’t have a clue about what I was doing and I planted them all way too close together. My friend, Cathy, warned me that my little bitty one-gallon tomato plants would get huge; I didn’t listen.
But it didn’t matter. I came out one morning to wish my veggies a good day, and they were all lying on their sides like dead soldiers.
I didn’t understand. What happened overnight? I ventured in the garden…at that time unfenced…and realized a family of gophers had celebrated their very own Thanksgiving–with all of my produce!
Back to square one for me. Each bed had to be lined with chicken wire to keep them out. I was determined to win the battle. Chicken wire in place. I was ready to begin again.
It wasn’t that simple. Sure, I conquered the gophers…for a while…but then came the squirrels, rabbits, raccoons and deer. You must wonder where I live. Actually in Laguna Beach. But since I’m on a canyon I get lots of what I used to think of as cute animals, until they invaded my garden. So much for Bambi…she ate my avocado tree!
I complained to my gardener and before you could say Jim Bowie he extracted his Bowie knife and with a quick flick of his wrist he made sure there was one less squirrel to use my garden as his personal all-you-can-eat buffet. This wasn’t exactly my idea of organic gardening but at that moment I didn’t complain. Instead I grabbed my camera. My son, Jake, mugged for the camera with the the culprit.
I made another trip to Roger’s Gardens, spent the day planting, and was ready to start over.
So I begin my blog. I hope to share my fun times and failures, lessons learned, my produce and my recipes.
Enjoy.
Categories: Gardening Tips, Spring
Tags: the first spring
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Very nice – I'm so impressed! I admit I work with computer programs all day yet I have never blogged! Congratulations! Sandy
way to go nancy! your blog will rock! i hope you also plan to feature some of the amazing meals you cook from your garden bounty! and, most importantly, i hope you let me feature you on my "outdoor living" blog, laguna dirt. (www.lagunadirt.blogspot.com.)
Nice Job Nancy! Summer veggies will be here soon.