Return to Reality and the Overgrown Garden

I returned from Europe earlier than Daniel, and I couldn’t wait to see the garden’s progress (or lack thereof). I was greeted with a few ripe tomatoes, two lemon cucumbers, onions, a few tiny crookneck squashes, about ten heads of cabbage, and weeds beyond what I could imagine. The first evening home, I picked the tomatoes and cucumbers, then called it a day; the weeds aren’t going anywhere.

When I left for Europe, there were two little crook neck squashes about four inches long, growing as slowly as possible. When I came home about two weeks later, I could not believe how many there were and the size they had grown to. Remember, I’m the city girl, so while generously giving away my large crook neck squashes to my neighbors, one neighbor (an expert Gardner) politely pointed out that it was a spaghetti squash, not a crook neck. I finally found a few crooknecks; they were (and still are) doing well further back into the garden, pushed out of their original space by the giant spaghetti and butternut squash plants growing high and wide, covering my entire garden.

While starting my garden this year, I found heirloom corn seeds at Nancy’s Dream Garden. I love corn and never tried to grow it; these seeds were pink. How could I not try? Again, the city girl learned a big lesson. I assumed one seed would produce one stalk and one ear of corn. Boy, was I wrong. One stalk has four or five ears, and they spread out and nearly take over the entire world. Corn has aced out my cucumbers, and the number of stalks is about equal to the tough tomato plants.

My tomatoes seem to be doing well. I believe they are doing better than I know because I find Mugsy traipsing through the back of the garden with a very satisfied look. I assume he’s found an area where the tomatoes are just the right height for snacking. He is also doing a good job on the yellow pear and cherry tomatoes.

I was told that asparagus takes about three years to produce. It’s been three years, and I had about five spears this year. I have little hope that it will ever be something I successfully grow – so I will probably give in for store-bought. I did have one giant cauliflower when I came home from Europe. A surprise since I’d assumed it was hopeless after the others I planted were a bust. My broccoli was also a bust, and I only had one useable artichoke, but I sure have corn!

We also belong to a coop garden in Walla Walla, a bountiful source of eggplant, peppers, and zucchini. We’ve had ratatouille for dinner by itself, on pizza, in pasta, and last night in a frittata. We’re going out tonight to have dinner with friends, and I welcome the change.

We recently had the “joy” of buying a new refrigerator. I’m sure it will fill up quickly with anything tomato or corn-based. But I still find gardening fun, mysterious, tiring, rewarding, and sometimes even belly-filling. I won’t give up, except on corn, broccoli, and asparagus!