What I Did On My Summer Vacation

So, what have I been doing for two months?

The gardens are my new BFF. They talk nonstop (I can relate). Sometimes they whisper......"psst...it's time to get up...yes I know it's only 5 a.m.". Other times they yell.."Are you gonna WEED today?" They tell me what to eat..(kale)and when.."stop looking at the tomatoes..they are not ready." Time to water? Without a doubt. Need to replant... now. The squash bugs are coming...The Squash Bugs are coming...THE SQUASH BUGS ARE HERE.

I have learned a bucket-ful of vegetable trivia this summer. Cucumbers don't like climbing on wire. The tomatoes want more elbow room. Pumpkins don't take well to transplanting after they are so big. Deer love beet tops. The lettuce just isn't going to germinate regardless of how many times I replant. Zucchini appear ready-to-eat overnight.

I have learned garden do's and DON'T UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES DO. Like mulch. I thought (and this was confirmed by others) that year-old hay would have composted the life out of hay seeds. Wrong. So, in addition to the weeds that naturally grow in gardens (I understand it's their mission), I PLANTED weeds under the guise of mulch. Woe.

But, I have had my triumphs. The satisfaction that wells up inside when I look down a row freshly freed of weeds. It's like looking at a clean kitchen or an empty laundry basket. That little beam of bliss that comes when my harvest buckets are full of produce. The secret smile of gratitude when my plate is full of home-grown greens. The thank-you on my lips when a farmers market customer loves my veggies as much as I do.

Yes, I get muddy from head to toe every day. Yes, my muscles ache, under my hat, my hair is plastered to my head and I scrub my nails with hydrogen peroxide to get them clean (correction..TRY to get them clean). But, I am having the time of my life. I love my gardens and am so glad I am at home on the farm. Life is good.