I’ve been willing the weather to get warm enough to plant my kale and lettuce starts that a friend gave me.
I finally got my wish and put in six kale and six lettuce. They look so small and vulnerable, barely able to prop themselves up even with good soil around each of them.
The first thing I do in the morning, even before feeding my four cats is go outside and see if they’ve survived the night. They have. But some of them have been knocked over by either my cats or stray cats that now love my garden boxes. Anyone know how to keep cats out of the veggie garden?
Research suggested putting popsicle sticks, chopsticks, plastic forks or something similar to deter cats exploring the garden box, using it as their personal porta potty.
It also said to scatter orange or lemon peels because cats don’t like the smell. I have plenty of lemons that I froze because I bought what I thought was a normal sized bag of lemons from Costco, but instead it was a half-ton bag of lemons. I could scatter them around along with a bunch of sticks or forks. I’d rather actually get wooden sticks to keep the garden organic.
I’ve also started seeds using a big 72 seed cell starter kit. I had an extra clip-on light that I had no use for until the seeds needed more light than my windows provided. So I got a cheap spray bottle for water and set the little “greenhouse” on a desk in my spare room with the clip-on light clipped to the desk. The basil seeds were the first to sprout. The bok choy is trying desperately to sprout and stand tall, if their fingernail-size could be called tall.
The greenhouse, with its moisture laden plastic top went onto a small table in the back porch where they might get more sun and acclimate to the chilly nights, hopefully preparing them for a fruitful life in the garden. I’m also worried that there might be too much moisture in the greenhouse.
Time will tell.
A friend in Michigan recently said that I was turning into a gardener like my mom. That pushed a button and I wrote back to her on how I studied Horticulture at Michigan State University, how I had a fabulous garden wherever I lived. Even in Sri Lanka I had some workers use bricks to build a 20-by-8 garden and then they stuccoed it. Apparently that was normal there. I had a bountiful crop of green long beans that was gorgeous. One morning a flock of parrots attacked the beans and gobbled them up within minutes. It was worth seeing so many wild parrots in my garden that I planted more just in case they’d come again.
At another house in Sri Lanka, I had a very small patch of land that I grew basil on. In such a tropical climate it was easy to grow most anything. I had so much basil that I made pesto. I bought some baby food (in those small jars) and fed the food to my dog, Toby, and used the jars for the pesto. My friends all got baby jars of pesto for Christmas.
I hope to grow enough basil this summer to make pesto again. Right now the basil sprouts are touching the top of the little greenhouse. Pretty soon they’ll be ready for transplanting to the garden boxes. The friend who gave me the kale and lettuce starts suggested that I use 4-inch pots for starting seeds as they can be planted directly into the garden boxes. Fewer transplanting steps.
What’s a girl to do?…my friends also seem to be making veggie gardens to counterbalance the cost of high prices, maybe I should also get some egg-laying chickens. Or go vegan!
Lucy Llewellyn Byard welcomes comments and shares. To contact her, email lucywgtd@gmail.com
