Oh yeah. It’s that time of year again. Time for Operation Black Thumb! Right now, my kitchen is full of tiny, struggling seedlings, all of whom look at me and scream, “Why’d you bring us into this world, you sadist?!”
Actually, it’s not quite that bad. I’d say about 3/4ths of the seeds I started last month have come up, and considering that I’m gardening with small children, I don’t think that’s too bad. And I did plant a ton of seeds this year, in hopes that I’d have enough hardy seedlings come April 15th, which is the frost-free date around here. I may even have more than enough, in which case I’ve promised the extras to Mary and my neighbors (and all these people are so much better gardeners than I am).
The kids are having fun watching the new seedlings come up, and they have promised me that they will help me grow lots of tomatoes and beans and herbs, etc. Meanwhile, my friend Patty, who is the best gardener I know, has promised to help me put together a square foot garden for next year. We’ll probably start putting together the boxes in the fall, about the time I decide I’ve had enough of my straggling side garden and I’m ready to rip the whole thing out.
I’ll post pictures of seedlings next week, hopefully, so you can see how ambitious I am for this year’s container garden. But please promise not to bring me before a tribunal for crimes against nature, okay?
I love the Calvin reference. Or is it a Walter Mitty reference?
If the Black Thumb could kill a silk plant I would be impressed. I half wonder if Operation Black Thumb is so black thumbish b/c there are so many little helpers trying to help you take care of the plants ^_~
I’ve got a grey thumb. Concrete grey. I have no aptitude, no skill and most of all no interest in gardening. Naturally, plants reciprocate my feelings, so that’s ok. 🙂
Not sure I’m going to plant this year. We tried some seedlings last Spring, which turned out to be monsoon season. They didn’t have a chance.
The square-foot gardens are nice. I did one last year and I felt that things went pretty good. The only mistake I made was waiting too late for spring crops to built it. So this year I got a good start. I’ve already planted my springs crops and should have beets and red kale by memorial day.
Good luck.
VTPaladin,
The same thing will probably happen to me. I’ll set my boxes up too late for a particular season, but will be ready to go for the next spring. I’m hoping to look at building the frames for the square foot garden some time this summer, although it will mean tearing out or relocating some old plants. Some of the stuff I currently have in the garden is fine, but a lot of it is really scraggly and needs to go. We’ll see how I do!
Leigh,
I usually stick to container gardens. They’re easier to manage water-wise, especially when the plants are so young. Next year, we’ll see how raised beds do. I may get rained out too.
Steve,
I’ve been told that good gardeners kill a lot of plants. In which case I must be a gardening genius.
I’ll keep posting on how the
graveyardgarden goes this spring.Mich,
Well, so far Pixie has managed to pull the buds off half my tulips in the front yard. I’m a little irked about that. They hadn’t even bloomed yet. She just decided to make sure there were flowers inside them.
It’s gonna be a looooooooong spring.
Nobilis,
No intentional reference to either Calvin or Walter Mitty. This was a joke Paulette Jaxton and I had going last spring. I was the Black Thumb and she wanted to be Chic Weed, my evil assistant. I have to see if she’s going to do a costume now, because I’m dying to make a Black Thumb outfit!