By Kylie Blanchard, Staff Writer
Despite my doubts this spring (when the snow was piled high in the backyard) of my pending success as a first time gardener, I have to say I have taken to the hobby. But more importantly, and still somewhat to my amazement, plants are actually growing in my garden! I have lost just one brussel sprout plant, which never really took from the get go, and now have a full garden that also includes potatoes, onions, carrots, beans, peas, squash, peppers and a pumpkin plant (which I think is going to take over the better part of the backyard before the summer is over).
I have really enjoyed "tootling in the garden," as I often refer to my one or two late evenings a week spent tending to the plants, pulling pesky weeds and watering the garden. And with great excitement I announced to almost everyone I talked to late last week that I actually had a pepper growing on one of the plants - the first official "fruit" of my efforts.
But I have to admit, I have also become quite protective of my garden. I have called my Dad to water it when we were out of town and the temperatures were toasty. I have fretted when thunderstorm watches and warnings predicted hail (maybe I could build some sort of removable roof for my garden?). And recently, I faced my greatest gardening nemesis thus far, Mr. Rabbit.
Before I even planted, I put a small fence around the garden in the hopes that it would keep the rabbits at bay. I then added a garden gnome (affectionately called "Gnorman") and a small rotating windsock (which my son named "Windy") in the hopes of scaring the little buggers away from the plants. I thought all was well until I looked out our dining room window the other evening and, much to my shock and dismay, Mr. Rabbit was munching on the lettuce row! (Really, I am not making this up, he went right for the lettuce!)
Startling my husband and son, I exclaimed "No!" and quickly got up from the dinner table, shot out the front door, across the deck, around the house and across the backyard toward the garden, loudly shooing Mr. Rabbit away. I must have been intimidating enough because he bolted out of the garden, disclosing his sneaky hole under the fence and, thankfully, left minimal damage in the lettuce row. Relieved, I turned around to go back inside and finish my supper and caught my husband and son standing in the window, laughing at me.
I spent a good chunk of the rest of that evening "tootling in the garden," fixing the fence, weeding and checking out the additional vegetables that are beginning to make their appearance. I am looking forward to picking veggies in the next few weeks, but until then I'll be happy "tootling" and keeping a close eye on Mr. Rabbit.
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