An hour a day keeps the doctor away. That phrase kept going through my head this morning as I did my morning ritual of checking the garden. Sometimes that hour makes the difference in my mental health for the day. I felt so much happier when I came in. And I know eating fresh food from the garden keeps my body healthy.
Today promises to be the hottest day of the year, so my garden TLC had to be accomplished early. For me, that one hour usually turns into two or three. Working freelance (web content creator, actress, photographer, homemaker) I realize that is a luxury folks who work long days away from the garden can’t afford, and I’m very grateful. And that’s why I write a blog, to share the garden with you.
Mostly what I do is ponder, and look closely. One of my LBL’s (Late Bloomer Lessons) is Be Observant. Observance takes time. The larger the garden, or in my case, the more complex, the more time it takes. Our yard’s square footage hasn’t changed in the four years I’ve been gardening, but this summer it is it’s most complex and biodiverse. I will talk about biodiversity in one of Season 5’s upcoming episodes.
Pondering this morning:
…about the powdery mildew being so much worse on the Black Krim tomato plant I’m trying for the first time (and deciding not to plant again), led to me spraying the base of vines with milk spray and removing offended leaves;
…whether loufa being a squash means that female flowers must be pollinated by male flowers, and I don’t have any male flowers so will these baby loufas develop, and noticing the leaves were a little droopy so I watered;
…with the temperature rising to 91°F if I should water my 21 peppers on the driveway three days early (I did);
…if my hand-removing and squashing scads of Southern green stink bugs off my green beans (they originated on my bolted rocket arugula) will turn the tide on the invasion or will I need an insecticidal soap (which I’ve ordered just in case);
…will the baby Seminole squash from my only vine’s only spectacular female flower become a squash;
….and various other random thoughts.
At the end of today’s session, I observed a baby melon that appears to have been pollinated.
Melons are so hard to grow here, I’m afraid to be hopeful. This heat wave should actually help the melon vines. There were also five strawberries (two from another plant), enough for a small snack. Three garden hours spent, heart and mind lifted! Check! Hope you are able to get out into a garden this week!
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