Dirty Hands

Saturday, May 25 2013 was a cold, cold day in Madison. But I'd set my mind to buying plants and putting them in the garden. I simply couldn't wait any longer.

So... there I am, at 7:45 a.m., trudging around the farmer's market, freezing and loading up on tender little bundles of future food. A small fortune later and I had cucumbers, tomatoes, arugula, basil, thyme, parsley, rosemary, eggplant, ground cherries, spinach, lettuce, and swiss chard. Oh... and a huge bunch of jonquil bulbs that the woman sold me for a dollar. Of course, once I got home, I felt compelled to get everything into the dirt.

Eggplant and ground cherries in pots. Note how good my willows look!

Arugula, finally not wilting.

Tomatoes, looking good.

The cold was pretty brutal and my new plants didn't take to it very well. They stayed sort of wilty and sad looking for a couple of days. But this morning, with the onset of warmer weather, everyone has perked up. I've already lost one cucumber (it just never took) and two basil plants. I think the basil got chewed or stepped on by the baby rabbit that lives in my neighbor's yard.

My new favorite basil - Pistou. It's a tiny-leaved, globe that's great in pots.

This is the second year that I'm trying to grow greens in a pot. Last year's attempt was mixed. The chard did fairly well (except for getting some pest called a "leaf borer") but my lettuce never really took off. I think I crowded the plants so, this year, I'm going to seriously thin them out after they've established a bit. Fingers crossed.

The other addition to my garden on Saturday was a "As Seen On TV" Pocket Hose. Yes... I couldn't resist. I've been eying on the late-night infomercials for a while and then, the other day, I walked in to Walgreens and there it was - in all its glory.

AWESOME!

You may have previously read of my love of all things "As Seen On TV". I make no secret of my obsession. And, once again, the product has lived up to the hype. I'll never own a regular garden hose again. :)  Plus, I get the added bonus of being able to say inappropriate things to visiting friends like, "Would you like to see my hose grow?" (Yes... I'm really a 12-year-old boy trapped in this grown-up woman's body).

Best products, ever.

Here it is at 50' long. Seriously - it reaches my entire back yard.

 The gardening has started in earnest. I guess summer really is planning to arrive this year.

- Alex