My Dream

When the girls were littler I used to dream of having a maid. And I don't mean just a Molly-Maid-come-in-once-a-week-and-clean type of maid. I used to dream of having my own "Susan" from the Anne of Green Gables series. A live-in full-time, lived to cook, cleaned for amusement, loved my kids as if they were her own kinda maid.

Now that my kids are getting older and the household duties around here are (a) not so onerous and (b) are shared amongst many hands, I dream of having a gardener. Maybe he/she doesn't need to be live-in, but I'd love to have someone keep my lawn weed and thatch free, keep it composted and fertilized, know exactly how and when everything should be trimmed, and grow me a beautiful garden of both flowers and veggies. Kelly and I neither one are gardeners, but I love having beautiful green grass and weeds embarrass me almost as much as dust on the piano. But I have a grey thumb - not quite black but a definite handicap.

The worst thing is that we didn't have any boys. And yes, I know girls can do yard work too, and I do make them help me pull weeds and such. They help with the veggie beds more willingly. But much of yard work just calls for more of a heavy-lifter than I have ever been or expect my girls to be. Kelly mows and edges, but I think he'd rather put down AstroTurf rather than have to do much more to it - it's just not his thing either. :-)

So until we strike it rich and get a full time gardener (ha ha), we'll have to slum along as is, and Better Homes and Gardens will have to wait.

I am doing another veggie crop this year. I learned a few things from last year, so hopefully it will be more successful this year. I'll post more on that at a later date. But I did add in strawberries this year just for fun. My girls are excited about the three whole berries we have growing right now. ;-)

I'm Really Brave to Try This

So I've toyed with the idea of a small garden, either in a raised bed or container garden, for a couple of years now. Kelly agreed this spring to build me a bed, so I asked for some advice from others around here who keep gardens and dove in. You see I have two problems when it comes to this sort of thing.

1. I have, if not a black thumb, a very grey thumb. I seem to do ok with shrubs and bushes and certain flowering things, like Mexican heather and lantana, which are indestructible anyway. But annuals, perennials, and many other green things usually don't stay green very long under my inexpert care.

2. Most gardening books and websites don't apply to the climate down here. Plants that say "full sun" can't always take the full sun of a San Antonio summer, which is approximately 7 months long. Ask me how I know.

So part of my procrastination has been fear of failure. But I finally felt adventurous enough this year - and have girls old enough to be of real help with it - that I dove in. Kelly built a raised bed for me, I filled it with a rich garden soil/compost mix. We got started little late so I started mostly with plants, which is the more expensive option I realize. But this fall and next spring I can start with more seeds and save a lot of money.
Right now I have a squash and a zucchini plant, two bell pepper plants (one green and one red, I think) a jalapeno plant, a tomato plant, and a grape vine. Even though some people told me it was too late for seeds, some said it was still ok. I decided it wouldn't hurt to try, and it would be a good educational experience for the girls. So we also bought a seed starter kit, which acts like a little greenhouse. We planted green beans, onions, and a pumpkin seed. Sure enough they are all sprouting. Hopefully they will stay healthy and thriving long enough for transplanting to the bed. Then the real test begins. ;-)
This fall I can't wait to plant lettuce and next spring: strawberries!