My wife, Ashley, and I are determined gardeners. Despite the fact that we just recently moved into a new home and are still in the process of remodeling (including a complete kitchen remodel) we wanted to take on the challenge and time commitment of having a vegetable garden, as well!
Maybe it really says more about my inability to sit still and less about how badly I want fresh produce but either way in early March we started several seeds in a miniature greenhouse we set-up in the guest room. We enjoyed watching the steady progress that our little seedlings were making for several weeks and before we knew it they were outgrowing their little Jiffy pots! The time had come for us to introduce them to their home – the great outdoors! We spent the day tilling the soil, putting up rabbit fencing and staking it all in place. We planted the little seedlings, watered them well and went inside tired from all of our hard work.
It was just about that time that the “monsoon” hit. You remember the nearly two weeks of constant, heavy rain that we endured here in Louisville? The same rain that caused the Ohio to swell and towns downstream to flood? Yes, that’s the rain storm I’m talking about. We planted our tiny, sensitive little seedlings just before all of that. Of course, we had no idea that was coming – but no matter – it completely obliterated our plants to the point that you can’t tell they were ever there.
Knocked down but refusing to give up, this past weekend we went over to our local nursery, picked up several plants (yellow squash, basil, several varieties of tomato and a few other veggies), brought them back to house and stuck them in the dirt. I kind of feel like we cheated this year – but I know that the veggies will still taste good either way. And next year, if we get the kind of rainfall we got this year again I’ll be standing in the garden with an umbrella!
