So I planted my first garden in 6 years. I think it has laid dormant has something to do with not being in the mood and letting the soil take a vacation. So last April I decided to plant Black Eyed Susans in back of the house, just for the hell of it. Didja know that the Black Eyed Susan was the state flower of Maryland? You do now.
Once the icy grip of winter released Michigan from it's grip, and the ambient temp gets to the point where icicles no longer hang from the ears like some kind of weird jewelry, It is time to venture out to the back yard with borrowed tools to turn the soil over. I did so, in mid May just after getting tired of staring at the seed packages that were stored right next to my other computer. 6 hours, a sunburn and several blisters later, the little plot was ready for planting. Of course, I then got the bright idea to soften up the plot with water AFTER I turned all the soil over. It would have been a lot easier, but what do I know from gardening?
I decided that a good garden had to be well watered. I spent the next tow weeks watering and getting the soil moist enough to let the seeds take hold. Besides, there is a nasty gang of sparrows that hang out just inches from where I chose to have my little flower plot and I really didn't feel like feeding them all my precious little seeds. My mom insists on feeding those feathered fiends popcorn, not to mention the mindless morons who tend the landscape who will mow, kill and weedwhack anything that doesn't look like grass. You don't want to know what they did to my poor little marigolds. Talk about growing up in a hostile environment. If this continued, my garden didn't have a chance.
You plant, you hope that something sprouts, and if luck is with you it does. I for one, use the scattershot method of planting. I'm not a type A who plants one seed in a hole in neat little rows. I buy 4 or 5 packets and spread the entire plot with seeds. A little water, and leave em to God. You can always weed and transplant later on.
Except that I didn't know what looked like a weed, and what was a flower; I'd never planted this kind of flower before. The best thing to do is wait. Soon, the little plot was more overgrown than the Amazon rainforest. I swear that there was a tribe of natives living in it, it was so overgrown. No flowers, just green sprouts. Thunderstorms tend to do that to a garden. I continued to water and wait for something to happen.
A note about watering. Some people water on a daily basis, and are almost religious about it. I'm not. For one thing, getting the hose out from the basement, then uncoiling it, and hooking it up is a pain in the ass. It is no wonder that one tends to get lazy about such things. Fortunatly for me, there are neighbors who will, if asked nicely, water your little plot when they water thier own. I figured that between all the thunderstorms and the neighbors my little garden would do just fine. I do water it, but usually I just toss a bucket or two of water on it just about sunset. I do that for 2 very good reasons. 1) The scorching sun won't saute my flowers, and 2) if you're really lucky and water just enough you can get the midges out that will keep any person bent on picking the fruits of your labor from loitering around you"re garden.
The first little yellow flower came out of its bud somewhere after 6 am on a hot day in July. It was nestled in what now was a jungle of weeds and other flowers now waiting to bloom. I was getting lots of flak from my mom who kept telling me that weeding it would be nice and maybe the flowers would grow a little better. I was of the opinion that I had absolutly no right to kill with impunity something that grew along with the flowers. Did Adam weed the Garden of Eden? Did God tell Adam to stop wondering about where his rib went and get with the weeding? I don't think so. Personally, I think God had bigger things on His mind. If weeds were good enough for Adam, they are good enough for me. No, God didn't tell Adam to weed the garden. Eve did.
Now that you know that I like weeds, you should know that I cultivate weeds on purpose. I have a 5 footer going that has the promise of being 7 feet if only I had the gumption to put Miracle Gro on it. My weed's name is Herman. I have grown attached to it even though there are forces that are conspiring to leave me weedless. Some people want to cut Herman down and treat it like a common weed. I hope to have a picture of my weed here in the weeks to come.