My Imperfect Plot: From Garden to Table - If it Makes it That Far

A few weeks ago my garden LOOKED fantastic.  I was so excited.  The squash plants were huge, the peppers were just starting to form fruit, the tomatoes too had bulbous flowers just on the verge of resembling tomatoes, and the beans….the beans plants, were almost a foot tall with light purple buds beginning to unfurrow. It was beautiful!

My Imperfect Plot: The Planting

My dad always said “You want to have your plant in by Memorial Day.”

When we were kids, Dad took advantage of whatever good weather we had throughout the month of May to get the ground worked up, trying not to get the tractor stuck.  He even occasionally got his plants a week or so ahead of time.  But for the most part, Memorial Day Weekend was Planting Weekend.   And so, it continues.

These Old Walkin' Shoes: Keep on Growing

As you probably all know, we are a gardening family. With all the rain over the last month, we’ve had a hard time getting out to the garden to get it cleaned out and planted for the year. Finally, last night, we were able to get outside to work in the garden. We got all the weeds pulled, ready for the rototiller. It’s a start.

These Old Walkin' Shoes: Let it Grow

With the nice, warm weather finally back, I started my normal morning walks before I go to work. The sounds and smells of spring are in full bloom around the neighborhood. Me, I’m thankful for the opportunity to get back out and walk a little. I used to hate going on walks, but I’ve learned to love it in the last year or so. I welcome all those sounds and smells. It means warmth.

Springing Ahead

There’s always that one sure sign that spring is well on it’s way. No, it has nothing to do with a hedgehog, nor robins building nests in the gutters. In the Bacon household, there is only one thing that can herald the arrival of spring. Yes, I’m talking about the seed catalogs.

My Imperfect Plot: Grazing From the Garden

The last couple of weeks have been great for the garden.  We got a little more rain, and a lot more sun.  The beans, despite having been accosted by a deer (or a few) have continued to produce.  I will not get enough to can up for the winter, especially since we are not sharing with the deer, but we have had several good meals of them and shared with a few neighbors too.  

My Imperfect Plot: Attack of the Squashes

These last two weeks have been fruitful.  We got some much needed rain.  Although as I sit here on my new patio chairs, I am listening to the spitter spatter of my sprinkler because it has been a few days again, and there is no rain in the 7-day forecast that pops up on my phone.  It’s not as peaceful as real rain would be but the sound of virtual rain from the garden hose is far more productive than searching for a virtual Pokémon. I’ll take it.

My Imperfect Plot: Rain is a Good Thing

We got some much needed rain Tuesday night.  It was a good rain too, not so heavy that it threatened to damage plants, but a nice steady rain. It was the all night kind that makes everything seem fresher and greener in the mid morning sun.  An added bonus was that it took place over night while we slept, Mother Earth refreshed herself bringing a beautiful sunny Wednesday for us to enjoy amidst our work and play.

My Imperfect Plot: A Time to Grow

Today I picked.  Rather I cut the first of the fruits of our labor from the little garden plot here in our yard.  I love gardening!  Well, in theory anyway.

In my utopia, it’s a family thing, a way to spend time together, to work together; it’s a way to teach the girls (our 4 crazy children) how to care for things, how to nurture a plant, and to appreciate nature.  What I tell them though is that it helps us eat healthier.  We know what is in our food if we grow and can it ourselves; we are not poisoning the earth with unnecessary chemicals.

Gardening Column to Appear on Sundays

Niagara's Watercooler, in that ever-present, self-serving need for more content, has once again resorted to nepotism. That's right, just when you thought you were getting all the content you could from either George or Craig, we've asked a member of our family to give you just a little bit more.