oh the lessons we learn

there are many things i have learned since i started gardening this year. oh my. it is hard work. had i known this, i may not have scoffed at the prices at the farmer's market and taken my lazy butt there every wednesday to support their efforts. my limbs are shaking right now from crouching down over my tiny little vegetables, as i quietly prayed over them and willed them to grow strong and savory. i just wish i knew a few things before i started it.

1. why on earth did i not draw a map of what was in my garden? i have absolutely no idea what things are, what the empty spaces are (i.e. what isn't growing), if it is a weed or the real thing. dearest me, next year, i will not rely on the placement of the flimsy seed bags to tell me what's where, as they are now all over the yard in tiny, wet paper pieces. i might invest in something like this for next spring. seriously, i have no idea what basil and parsley look like outside of a spice jar. i had to google it and i'm still not sure i pulled the right thing.

2. weed every day. do not, i repeat DO NOT, forget about weeding. i had tackled it all about two weeks ago, then i got busy with the new york trip. plus, it was raining every other day, so i hadn't worried about even go out there to water. then, my garden turned into this.
i'm pretty sure the wild grass was restricting the growth of everything else. i guess the fertilizer works wonders on weeds, but does diddly squat on jalapeño peppers.

3. do not turn your back, even for 1 second, on the ginormous spider you just spotted mere inches from your current location. it will be gone in an instant, leaving you to wonder the rest of the time where that sucker went and if it is going to crawl up on you and bite you and you'll die instantly and no one will find you because the weeds are so high and your decomposing body will become fertilizer but then no one will eat the vegetables because they are human-fertilized produce. sigh. it could happen.

4. seeing how my hard work is starting to pay off does connect me with the earth a little and make me excited to see what succeeds in this tiny little plot in my backyard. so far, i see tiny baby radishes and cilantro out the wazoo. that alone is enough to get me a little addicted to this whole thing. and weeding. it's a workout. so i'm buffing up and staying fit while doing it. bonus!