Notes from the Garden

I grow lots of my seasonal herbs and veggies from seed, which means I always have too many seedlings for the area I've reserved for them. I give some away, but there always seem to be more -- and more -- and more than I plan for.

Instead of throwing the extras on the compost pile like any reasonable person, I try to squeeze them in here and there, putting them in pots, arranging them in flowerbeds where they won't cause (many) problems. At harvest time, I have more peppers, basil, sage, oregano, mint, tomatoes, catnip, cucumbers, eggplant and zucchini than I know what to do with.

It's an embarrassment of riches, but one that always makes me feel wonderful. It's something about abundance. Having plenty -- more than plenty -- makes me feel wealthy. It can be aloe vera pups or scotch bonnets; doesn't matter. I give them away, donate them and eat more than my fair share of produce between July and September (and that's an understatement).

Every year my husband tried to get me to cut back. He always has reasonable, compelling arguments, too. I plan on complying -- every time. Somewhere between looking at herb catalogs and checking out the latest vegetable varieties, my resolve falters and vanishes like morning fog. I'm left clutching a list of plant candidates that's, if anything, is longer than last year's.

I don't want to be saved from myself, though. How about you?

This year is no different. As I wander among the rows, sidestepping burgeoning squash vines that are making it harder and harder to get around (and for my husband to mow the lawn), I feel a little guilty. I should really buy some nifty canning equipment that will make it easier to "put up" some of this bounty. Yea, that's the practical thing to do.

The pundits lie. Less isn't more. More is more.



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Image 1 - VegetableGarden_Wiki
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Vegetable_Garden_at_Pockerley_Manor_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1396355.jpg
John Firth CC-BY-SA-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0), via Wikimedia Commons

Image 2 LettuceMF
http://morguefile.com/archive/display/533427

Image 3 - CabbageMF
http://morguefile.com/archive/display/724852