FIRST WEEK OF JUNE, GARDEN UPDATE (LIKE. YOU. CARE.)

The filter on the image is SO pointless, I know, but it reminds me of the Dust Bowl for some reason. Like I'm growing this food to keep my family of 12 alive, and for some reason I'm totally into that whole apocalyptic gardening idea. Look at me, KEEPING PEOPLE ALIVE.

The garden that took eternity to construct is surprisingly, continuing to thrive. I encountered a slight ant infestation in the early days, but it seems that I didn't need to ask for help or even DO anything to stop the ants, because it just keeps raining day after day after day, and it seems ants aren't that fond of rain.

One of the few times I'm totally ok with days on end of pouring rain. NO NEED TO BE AN ATTENTIVE GARDENER!

We did have one day of high 60's weather last weekend, and so for the first time in a few weeks I walked out to check my garden. I've already removed and thrown away the first two tomato plants from my first weekend because of black spot (read, TOO MUCH RAIN. TOMATO PLANTS ACTUALLY ROTTING AWAY FROM RAIN) but there is a healthy replacement in the ground now, and a second replacement safe inside where it DOES NOT RAIN. I figure I'll move tomato plant replacement #2 out into the actual garden at this rate, in September. 

Other than that, even with the rain, rain, and more rain things seem to be doing ok. My cold weather items such as cauliflower, lettuce, onions, and cilantro are thriving. While pruning back my lettuce seedlings I actually decided to nibble on one of the little guys, and imagine my surprise when it tasted like actual ROMAINE LETTUCE! Imagine! When I told Adam how thrilled I was that it tasted like real lettuce I swear he almost moved out. But what can I say? Just because the seed package says Romaine Lettuce, and it looks like a little thing of lettuce, my brain was physically unable to imagine that something *I* grew would ever taste as good as the produce I'm overcharged for.

Turns out this gardening stuff is the real deal folks.

Alert the media.

Home grown lettuce, TASTES LIKE STORE BOUGHT LETTUCE. Maybe even better. Plus side? When you weed lettuce seedlings you don't need to throw them away. You just EAT the baby plants. Changes the whole weeding game.

Wow. My life is so fucking exciting.

Ashley, the Accidental Olympian

Comments

[the Grumbles]

i am equally excited that the things in my garden! they TASTE like things!

i planted a whole bunch of everything thinking i would probably kill some and now i'm drowning in parsley/sage/basil/oregano.

plus, coincidentally, i ALSO drowned a tomato plant this week. luckily my one other little tomato dude is hanging in there.

just wait until it's harvest time and you have to figure out what to actually DO with all of it. we can trade recipes.

[Ashley, the Accidental Olympian]

GRUMBLES -- I keep looking at all the produce sprouting in my garden and wishing I hadn't been so excited and planted it all at the same time. There is a reason they tell you to stagger! Hm, imagine that!

I'll mail you some of my extras.

[Life of a Doctor's Wife]

I love your gardening posts! And I totally get why you'd think the baby romaine doesn't taste like store-bought romaine. I mean, food comes from neatly-lined shelves in a big building, right? Veggies come with stickers on them or rubber bands around them. Who ever heard of grabbing a meal from the DIRT?

[the Grumbles]

what!? who told you to stagger! no one told ME that! next year i guess.

[Sarah]

Have you ever seen "Secondhand Lions"?

Every time I see your gardening posts, I think of their gardening mishap. Only because with the exception of them, no one has ever made gardening funny.

Lucky for you, it doesn't look like everything you planted is corn...