Universal Laws of Cantankerous Carrot Behaviours

My carrots have finally come up. Well, sort of. Carrots are cantankerous little farts. I have found that, no matter how hard I try to spread their tiny seeds throughout the soil of a prepared bed evenly, 400 of them will come up in somewhere totally weird and 2 of them will come up where I thought I'd actually planted them. I believe this is due to two factors: The Night Soil Repositor (a.k.a. Evil Kitty, see previous entry), and Subclause A of the Universal Law of Cantankerous Carrot Behaviours.

Subclause A of the ULCCB states that, no matter how evenly you spread carrot seeds throughout a bed, they will shift as soon as you turned your back, giving you and your best laid plans the tiny carrot finger. Then two weeks later, after you have painstakingly watered and protected and tended the place where you THOUGHT you planted them, they'll come up in a completely inappropriate place, like in the middle of your garden path or directly underneath the dribbly bit of the hose bib.

This particular batch of carrots came up mostly where I planted them, but for some reason they're all crowded into about four square inches of a square foot bed. Next time I plant carrots, I think I'll pretend to be a carrot plant. I'll just hold the seeds over my head in hands and let the wind scatter them, with no care as to where they land (which is, let's face it, basically what the plant does). Subclause B Paragraph 27 of the ULCCB states that seeds scattered in this manner will pop up in a perfect row and need very little care. Go figure.

The Night Soil Repositor

If you've been gardening long, you've had this experience ...

You're digging through warm, perfectly mixed soil, running your hands through the dirt and compost, pleased with the great job you've done of preparing your bed, removing the rocks, mixing in the amendments. The soil is crumbly, soft, even, perfect and -- hey, wait a minute, what's this? An intriguing lump of clay? Hmmm, let's crumble it and .... Agggh! Oh No!! CAT TURD!!!

My cat, AKA The Night Soil Repositor, is the bane of many a gardener's existence in the community garden. He's over there all the time, strutting around like he owns the darn place, wizzing on lettuces and making special little deposits of treasure in fresh seed beds. I've heard people actively cursing him, and I will admit that I feel some shame and no little guilt when I hear, "That @#$% cat just @#$% in my radish bed!" As the offended gardener gets out the hose, I'm often tempted to explain that "no, you'll just encourage him -- he actually has a freakish attraction to water." But more often than not I keep my head down and my mouth closed while they attempt to spray him with a nozzle and then drop the hose and jump the fence as he charges their ankles. Who wants to take responsibility for that kind of freakish behaviour, after all?

But in the aftermath of one of these incidents, I often find myself trying to justify my cat's existence. Once in a while he's actually good company, lounging in the sun near me while I work. As long as I don't bare my ankels in a tempting way ("Hey, you were asking for it human. Look at the way you're dressed!) he mostly leaves me alone. And he does eat really gross bugs, like jerusalem crickets (urggh, is there any more hideous bug?).

For the most part, the cat and I have reached certain detente (a relaxation in strained relations or tensions) in the garden. I use bird netting to keep him off of the really sensitive areas of the garden, and in return he sprays only my potatoes, which is not so bad as the parts that we eat are safely stowed underground.

And when he really pisses me off, I just refuse to spray him with the hose.

It's Fall Again

Well, we thought we were through with the rain for the season, but another system is moving through. So no major gardening occured over the weekend because it was too wet. There was, however, a lovely Sunday morning walk through the garden with the world's cutest toddler. Here she is, wearing her pink raincoat and waving for the camera. Is that girl photogenic or what?

Corn and Teeth

My corn has just about doubled in size since I planted it. I have also planted potatoes, tomatoes, strawberries, lettuces, peppers, cosmos and asters, and one brave little tomatillo, which probably won't give many fruits as it's heat lover and we don't really get above 80 degrees most of the time. My, but things grow fast when you take good care of them!

The little people in my life are growing fast too. I've just been informed that my little Godson, Charlie , has broken his first tooth! So he'll be enjoying corn before we know it!

Taking Solace in the Land

It's lovely at the end of the day to come home to the garden. I usually get home from work at about six-thirty, when the day has cooled and the golden light is slanting just over the edge of the redwood trees that line the end of the cul-de-sac where the garden and I live. It's a perfect time to work outside, still sunny and just cool enough so that I don't break a sweat, but not so cool that I need to put on a sweater. The neighborhood is alive at this time of day -- kids are playing tag in the park, parents are chasing their giggling toddlers around the children's playground, neighbors are coming out of their homes after dinner for a post-supper stroll or bike ride. It's such a lovely time, and I feel so grateful for my place in the world.

Speaking of neighbors, I've met several of my garden neighbors now. Jim and his wife Lisa, for instance, have been working a large plot near mine for 18 years. I was pleased to learn from Jim that I'm one of a long line of gardners who have lived in Trescony cottage and have had a plot in the community garden. It's great to talk to gardeners who have some history with the land; many of the newer gardeners have warned me off planting tomatoes (it's too foggy, they say) -- Jim, on the other hand, says go ahead and grow 'em, just don't get any water on the leaves and stop watering them altogether as soon as they set blossom. Good advice, and my tomatoes are thus far very happy and doing quite well.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

I'm starting a new blog today in honor of my mama, who is the original garden oasis creator. Many of my happiest childhood (and adult) memories are of spending time with my mom out in her amazing yard. I'm a gardener today because my mama made me so! :-) So happy ma's day, mama! I love you!