Smashing Eggs, not Pumpkins

For the last four days I have beat a slow treat back away from the jungle of a garden. I have avoided it and its many weeds. Since I am very good at growing weeds, every once in a while it gets rather discouraging. Something is eating everything except the tomato plants that have no fruit, the lettuce, and the carrots. Everything else looks like its been assuaged with buckshot. RIP my beets, my kale, my cabbage, you were cut down in your prime. RIP my friends.

I have turned my hand to growing herbs. After the Great Start Disaster earlier this summer where all of my tomato, pepper, (and plants that we couldn’t remember what they were) died after a drought that may have been due to lack of people watering rather than water I took it upon myself to nurture these seeds into fine strapping plants. Today Elizabeth and I finished transplanting Basil.

Unlike the last time where we killed everything this time we grew too much and had to thin it out. Killing basil by choice rather than by accident makes me feel…powerful. Now we have an Herb Garden of Three. Cilatro, Parsley, and Basil. Its right next to our potted patio orchard. The starts have their real leaves now. I feel like a proud parent. My herbs are growing! I am successful. Elizabeth is going to try her hand at sales tomorrow. I suggested she give away the extra basil, but she informed me, “well, I could sell it….” The entreprenueral spirit is strong in this one. I might be more excited about that than the actual growing of plants.

Side note: we planted the cilantro and parsely in eggshells, the protein from the egg is supposedly good nutrients for the small seedlings. (so now ma pitts requires us to save eggshells by freezing them. When we want to plant anything we have to unthaw the eggshells that have been frozen together. our version of farming is very work intensive.) however when it came time to transplant the eggshell seedilings straight into the soil we realized that the roots had not been able to break through the egg shells like we thought they would. casey told me later than when the egg shells are planted they begin to decompose and self compost and the roots easily breakthrough. Not knowing that elizabeth and i spent a lot of time bashing the bottoms of the eggs on the patio to let the roots live free. I think so far that has been her favorite part of being a farmer girl. smashing eggs.