Monday, March 20, 2006


It Begins

Oh sure, it just looks like dirt to you, but soon the miracle of birth and growth will pervade this tiny plot. Soon the earth's warm, moist, and fertile loins will cause seeds to swell and tubers to venture out seeking the earth's soft, supple, and nourishing breast.

I've lost my train of thought.

Soon pinpoints of bright green will form rows in the dark rich soil. Hearty young onion plants will follow. But then the weeds will come, and the backbreaking bending over to pull them. And the hoe. Oh, the hoe. The rabbits will come and chew off the tops of tomato plants. The rabbits must die! Then the neighbors will come and scoff at my crooked rows. They will laugh behind my back at my skinny legs as I sweat in the sun. The neighbors must die!

But the sun and the rain will bless the garden and its harvest will be abundant. Too abundant. Too much food to deal with. Wasting, rotten vegetables. Guilt! Must can! Must freeze! No time!

It begins.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Leave the bunnies alone! Go ahead and take-out your neighbors, but leave the bunnies alone!

And it's snowing. Isn't it a little early for gardening...

Anonymous said...

It's duck season!

Malott said...

Mary,
Actually this past Sunday I planted spinach, leaf lettuce, and peas. I've planted this early before and it's worked out pretty well. The seeds sit in the ground until it's warm enough to sprout.
But I'll plant more when it's warmer just in case this planting fails.

And Bugs, I wouldn't put off paying those life insurance premiums.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm...killing innocent little bunnies seems a bit harsh. Seems to me a few diplomatic talks are in order before you launch an all-out war with the bunnies. Perhaps you should first build a consensus with gardeners from foreign countries before taking any action. (I suggest that France lead the talks). If the talks fail, try again this time with the threat of diplomatic sanctions if the bunnies refuse to comply with your wishes and cross the border into your garden. (May I suggest threatening to eradicate any source of greenery in your yard so that the little furballs will have no source of food?)

If diplomacy fails and the bunnies attack anyhow, forget war...it's too mean-spirited. Let the furry little rodents (which by now have multiplied by the thousands) take over your garden. At least the French will still respect you and you won't be over-extended come canning season.

SkyePuppy said...

If bunnies in a garden are anything like gophers, they're dead ducks.

BTW, beautiful garden, Chris. No weeds!

janice said...

Ahhh, the cycle of life. Man sows, rabbits reap, it's a beautiful thing.

Malott said...

Christina,
Maybe the rabbits are innocent where you live, but my rabbits somewhere along the line went bad. And as we say in Greentown, once a bad bunny, always a bad bunny. Oh they might be able to be rehabilitated but that could take years and cost thousands of dollars.
But though I talk a good game I'm not likely to shoot them. These rabbits might retaliate. My actions might unwittingly spawn suicide bunny bombers. Pieces of fur and bunny guts all over my property... no sir.

Malott said...

Skyepuppy,
I do a pretty good job with the weeds, unless we get several days of rain... and then it gets hard to keep up.
I hope to blog at least one picture per week from my garden so if there are weeds you'll know it.

SkyePuppy said...

It wasn't that I was looking for weeds. I'm impressed you don't have them, since I'm losing the battle with them in my little bitty patch of ground in front of my house.

I'll be watching for the progress reports.

Boy, do I miss growing something besides dandelions!