The Inch Worm

My first encounter with an inch worm made my skin crawl for a few seconds.

I've put two tomato plants in the ground. I have a few more leftover plants still in their containers. For back-up. You know, just in case the plants in the ground... die...Yup. It is good to have back-up. So, I was doing my usual morning check-up on each plant. That is when I noticed one leaf was starting to wilt. I quickly picked up the container and got a closer look. What? This particular plant has always been a real trooper. Not once has it ever drooped or wilted during the early morning. Slowly, I looked under a leaf and there it was. All in its green and wiggly splendor. 

My first thought was, "Yikes! I don't want it to touch me!" Then my second thought was, "Awesome! My first tomato pest! Ooooo. Could this be a hornworm??" I took a closer look. Nope. I didn't think it was a hornworm. I took this query to the internet and asked some folks in a gardening group what their thoughts were. Some said it was a type of caterpillar and to annihilate it on the spot.

So, that's just what I did. Okay, first I used a basil leaf to remove it from the plant. Then I dropped it n the patio. I sprayed it with lemon scented soapy water. Finally, I whacked it with a spade.

...

Okay, so maybe I had a little too much fun annihilating my first tomato pest. But it's gone and dead! Extra dead! Muahahaha!

A couple of weeks later, I showed a picture of this critter to my Gramma. She told me it was an inch worm.

I think all of this could have been prevented if I just kept on dropping fresh basil leaves at the base of each tomato plant. I stopped for a couple of days then this fella showed up. Now I know! Basil seems to work for me.

Breaking Ground

I have started my garden out in containers on the patio then as the weeks progressed, I've changed my mind and tackled the ground instead.

I went in the backyard and looked for a good spot. My mom suggested this particular area. Plenty of sun, enough shade in the morning and late afternoon, just right. 

The first thing I did was hit the ground with a shovel. A cloud of dirt rose up to my face and made me nearly sneeze. Then a thought occurred to me. I watched this one movie a few weeks ago called The War Horse. In this fictional movie, the horse grew up on a farm then eventually ended up on the battlefield in World War I. While it was on the farm, it had to help plow some soil. Poor thing tried with all its might but the ground was very hard and dry. Then a rainstorm occurred. This particular scene inspired me to hose down the plot. Next, I searched the shed for some useful tools. That is when I discovered the cultivator. I also found an old fashioned lawn mower, a push mower. Just for the heck of it, I used the mower on some wet grass. Yeah, I should have known it wouldn't work but I was curious. I set the mower aside then finally used the cultivator. It went pretty well. However, it was still really hard work. A friend of mine reminded me that it is okay to ask for help. So, I humbled myself by the end of the first week and asked a friend.

That friend was able to get this much done in just an hour and a half.

The very next day I moved my zucchini squash from a large container and into the ground.

Then the Large Red Cherry tomato on the left and the Roma tomato plants joined the party.

My three zucchini plants loved their new home so much that it began to bloom!

As of Friday, July 19th, 2019, this is my garden. From left to right back to front are the following:

basil, cherry tomato, corn, corn, roma tomato, basil

corn, corn

pumpkin, zucchini, pumpkin

I learned a little too late through the internet that maybe I shouldn't have planted corn and tomato together. Corn loves nitrogen. However, if tomatoes get too much nitrogen then they grow lots of leaves but little fruit. I guess only time will tell if I can still get some tomatoes out of this garden.

Brief side note: EEEE!!! I've grown my first corn and pumpkin sprouts this week!!! I'm so excited!

Caught the Gardening Fever

Last Fall my Doberman of twelve years passed away. He was more than just my dog. He was my friend, protector, guide, little brother, helper, trouble maker, and so much more. The first month was certainly the worst. I used to cry on a daily basis then the tears gradually tapered off. I still get upset and have an occasional bad day but like with most things in life, eventually I just have to move on.

I moved forward with my education plan. I took a year off from college to handle my own health, finally got a hold of my health, then I signed up for the Pathway program. This program is mostly online but people do have to physically meet once a week in a classroom where they can receive help with their online assignments if necessary. This program has helped me ease back into an academic routine. I did not have to launch myself back into a university, get brain-shock as I would like to call it, then fumble with half a dozen assignments due each week. 

However, there was still a small part of me that yearned for something. Something more. I want to nurture something. I want to take care of something just like how I used to care for my dog. I am back in school, I keep up with church responsibilities. I help organize the Sunday program, act as a housing coordinator, and send out a weekly email for my congregation. I go to dialysis every other day like a good little patient. I am on the wait list for a new kidney and I must remain compliant by never missing a treatment by choice. If I am ever labeled noncompliant, then it is buh bye to the wait list.

One day I was playing FarmVille 2 and it suddenly occurred to me. Why not give gardening another try? I did enjoy growing and making things on a virtual game. Why not take it to the next level and really grow something again? I did join a gardening group on Facebook some time ago, primarily because I wanted to trade fruit from my orange tree for fruit from other folks such as avocados. That group may have also given me gardening fever as well. Everyone has grown such delicious produce! I know real gardening is very different from FarmVille but I know with hard work and determination, I can succeed.

My dietician at my dialysis clinic has been another source of inspiration to try gardening. I will go more in-depth with this aspect sometime in the future.

So, with a little bit of help from my Gramma, my mom, and a few friends, I gave into the gardening fever around mid-June of this year. I can now nurture and tend to living things once more. It feels so incredibly good to care for something then see it respond with cheerful little leaves sprouting through the soil and flowers blossoming on its young stems.

There will be a weekly update each Saturday morning. This is an exception as it is my first post and I was too excited to wait any longer.

Always keep growing!

In loving memory of

Ivan Di Altobello

Sept 26, 2006-Sept 6, 2018