Garden Days

My experience with gardening has been woeful at best. Last year we tried the community garden at a local park...I didn't dare go back into the jungle garden plot by midsummer. I have to say I blame myself for my timing. I always want to start a garden right before I'm due to deliver a baby. Smart, huh?
This year I broke tradition and tried the garden thing sans expected baby. Whew.
We bought self watering planters and put in the plants the last weekend of March.
I was so anxious I peeked at them every thirty minutes. We have, um, wildlife in abundance around our home and I was just positive I'd find a raccoon nibbling on my tomato plant the minute the sun went down. I'm not sure who finds leaves of tomato plants appetizing (they smell stinky green...you know what I mean?) but I was determined to make sure I spotted them in time to come to the rescue of my tender plantlings.
Amazingly enough the plants (bell peppers, tomatoes, strawberries) survived not just the first night but are thriving outside...yeah, just checked...as we speak! Not just the transplants either. All my seeds sprouted.
I know this is not a big shocker to most of you normal type people out there but I am a doubter. I know you have one in your circle of friends/family. Maybe more than one. We stand out as those people caught without umbrellas all the time because we didn't believe it was going to rain. We over cook chicken because we don't trust the variety of meat thermometers and recipe instructions we use.
We make squinty eyes at you when you're telling a story and we're trying to use our doubt-o-vision to decipher if you're spouting malarkey or not.  Ok, maybe that last one is just me. I must come across as seriously gullible...
Anywho, I was completely prepared for my soil to die. Maybe have the planters melt. I promise I wouldn't have been shocked. Instead everything has come up. Beans, peas, corn, garlic, herbs, even my pumpkin has sprouted. I do a dance every morning as I watch them grow. It is truly amazing. From one little dry bean sprouts a bush that will be filled with beans. It is seriously a testament of a divine organizer.
Three weeks later and I've had to hand remove some aphids and a hungry, hungry caterpillar but all is well. I think my fascination with the little garden is really contagious too. Derek is always commenting on how the plants are growing. I can't wait to take him outside and let him harvest some of the food. Right now we are both doubting these beautiful plants will produce actual food. Hopefully Derek will grow out of that.
Are you growing a garden this year? If you need help check this out.