Getting Ready to Garden

This is Hubby leveling out my garden spot some.It is slightly on a hill and has a low spot that is hard to deal with in the wet spring weather.



Look at his face.I can tell you exactly what he is thinking."Woman,you are making me stop work to take a picture,good thing I love you so much."

Today and tomorrow are good days to plant if you go by The Almanac.I try to follow the advice.I figure all the old time gardeners do,and look at the gardens they produce.


Besides,I need all the help I can get.My garden here has not been my best.OK fine,it's the worst garden I have ever raised!We have a different climate here than I am used to and black gumbo type soil.Last year I managed to get some tomatoes from the summer garden.There is something good here though.Two growing seasons!Last year my fall garden did great!Winter veggies did great too,well,until the chickens got in there and devoured everything.Took me awhile to figure out what was happening.They were sneaky!I know,not a character trait you think of when you think of chickens!Oh,but don't be fooled by their cute little fluffy butts!After I would go back in the house, after tending critters,to fix me and The Boy some food,they would sneak into the garden commando style.Laugh if you want,but it is true I saw them out the kitchen window.They would get against the fence line, under the cover of trees and run down to the garden.Then they would all run out of hiding and attack my helpless cabbages,brussel sprouts and broccoli,then dissapear back into the trees! It was pure carnage,those innocent veggies didn't stand a chance.Bad chickens,Bad!

That won't happen this year,I have a fence between their yard and the garden.All summer I told myself I was giving up on gardening.All the hard work then to watch it fail because of the drought and heat.But,it is a disease,an addiction.Once you taste that first tomato you might as well have smoked crack! Your nails will never be clean or pretty again.Fingernails?Pshaw,look at this tomato I grew!Farmers tan? Is there any other kind?
It's really that way about all farm life.Once you become a farm woman you way of thinking changes.Instead of perfume,makeup and clothes it's weather,manure and chipper shredders.What's in heat,and I don't mean the weather!So and so is looking particularily plump and fine,boy he's gonna be tastie!Laugh if you want,but you other farm girls out there know where I coming from!
Some of your old friends won't understand.When they stop by and ask you to go to the mall and you say you can't because you have to slaughter a dozen chickens and would she like to stay and help.You even offer to give her a couple.Their eyes will glaze over and they will slowly back away!
Some of you out there think I am joking.I challenge you.Get you a 5 gallon bucket,punch some holes in it.Fill it with organic potting soil and stick you a tomato plant in it.See if you can beat the addiction!