It's been a long, hot summer already. With the lack of rain, the yards have become somewhat crunchy, the evergreens are turning ever brown, and our once beautiful hydrangea bush is now full of droopy leaves and browned flowers.
As beautiful as the spring garden was, the hopes and ideas I had for the garden this spring have pretty much become dust. Instead of rows of leeks and summer vegetables of all kinds, there are several rows of just prepared dirt.
It's just too hot and dry to try to plant things...
or is it?
Garden plants never cease to amaze me. Once I pulled the bolted lettuce and picked the end of the spinach to put into the freezer, I decided to take the gamble and plant a cucumber hill and a zucchini hill. By that time, rain was sparse at best. As you know, it's not been much better.
But I have beautiful cucumber and zucchini vines...miracles in the making.
Today, I gave a little sweat equity and hoed out the crab grass and the starts of the morning glory vines. In return, I received some beautiful gifts from the garden. And tonight, I enjoyed a lovely supper from those gifts. Even in the worst of conditions, I was still able to pick tomatoes, zucchini, onion, and bell pepper. It looked beautiful and smelled wonderful cooking away for supper along with some fresh parsley, oregano, basil, rosemary, chives, and garlic chives--more gifts from a small garden spot.
The peace and satisfaction that comes from growing food is a feeling that defies words. To see something mature from simple seeds to beautiful, thriving plants is worth every blister and sore muscle it requires. To work with soil and watch it recreate life is nothing short of a spiritual experience.
The weather will eventually break, the rains will come, and the yard will once again spring to life. The evergreens may not make it and the hydrangeas may need to be replaced. That's just part of the life of a gardener.
Nevertheless, the gifts from the garden will always make these things less discouraging.
Have a fine day.
