Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The Land of Magic and Wonder

My father-in-law's farm, I am convinced, is the land of magic and wonder.

A few weeks ago, my sister-in-law and I planted a whole bunch of seeds in the garden patch out there. Being a lazy greenhorn gardener, I planted them too deeply, planted too many seeds, and then promptly neglected them for the next fortnight.

Right now there are seven rows of the most beautiful little plant sprouts I've ever seen!

In my backyard, however, I scrupulously planted the same seeds at the exact specified depth, with precision spacing, and meticulously kept all weeds at bay. I made sure they were in a good sunny spot and in rich loamy soil.

Not a single sprout has surfaced.

How is your garden doing?

14 comments:

  1. Peas and lettuce are coming up, but still waiting on a bunch of other stuff...

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  2. My sentiments EXACTLY! (about the farm being the Land of Magic and Wonder) I set those pictures as my desktop background/screensaver on my computer at work. Every time I look at them I'm instantly transported there -- I know exactly what it smells like, the very temperature and the stillness and freshness of the air, the quiet, and the sounds. I mentioned that to my office manager, who grew up on a farm in Ozarks, and who was admiring the pictures over my shoulder, and he said, "Yes, I know."

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  3. Oh, this is funny....we just watched recently a Little House on the Prairie episode, where Laura and Almonso had to endure his stroke, a tornado and their home being destroyed....all the while a small geranium wouldn't thrive under such scrutiny, but after a tornado and being neglected, it flourished. All it needed was a little time to itself to dig it's roots in. LOVED IT! You've got to see it!

    Just planed some seeds indoors for a May planting, some are taking off, some are slow.....
    sahmatwork

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  4. Oh peas... I can't wait to have them with cream!

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  5. The later seasons of that show seemed to thrive on major disasters, hehe.

    I recognize my gardening limits, and starting seeds is one of them :-D. If I can't plant it straight in the ground, I have to get a pony pack. Only 1/20th of any seedlings I've ever planted have lived to tell the tale.

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  6. We have an extensive herb garden, I love how they smell! Our squash and peppers are about 6in tall in our extra bedroom, they can't be planted outside for another three weeks or so. Our flowers are blossoming though, they are crazy right now. I love spring cause I love all the smells and the bright green grass and the flowers :) I love gardening!

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  7. I tip on starting seeds. Some seeds can be started between damp paper towels, enclosed in plastic bags. When they begin to sprout after a few days, very gently tear off paper with the spouted seedling and plant it very carefully in seed starting soil. There are some youtube videos out there showing the process. Happy gardening!

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  8. I love the idea of gardening ;).

    What an awesome array you've got going! Herb gardening is so awesome (and saves so much $$).

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  9. What? How does everyone have things sprouting already? We still haven't even been able to plant anything outside, since we keep having these annoying late snowfalls! But I have some seedlings growing in my kitchen. Tomatoes, which are doing well, despite being jumped on by one of the cats. And lavender, which I've never grown before and is still very small and seems to be stalled at about an inch high.

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  10. One of our gardens is almost clear of snow, the other is still buried..but I have hope that today's rain will wash more of it away. I can't wait to be planting!

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  11. LOL! I can just imagine a cat sabotaging tomato seedlings :).
    Lavender? What a lovely scent.

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  12. What an exciting time of year this is, hm?

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