Thursday, May 3, 2007
Oops, Jumping Plants



It’s that time of year once again. The time each year when I forget how crappy my veggie garden turned out the prior year and I lose my head in the garden section of my local home improvement store. Out of the dozen tomato plants I planted last year I yielded about 20 tomatoes. None of my zucchini plants yielded anything last year, and there was not a green pepper to be seen even though I planted 6 pepper plants. I did however manage to get 3 little baby cucumbers off the cucumber plants. Considering it cost us $75 to rent a tiller to turn the soil over for a garden, $29 in fencing supplies to keep the dog out, and about $50 in plants, it may have been easier and cheaper to just have shopped at a farmers market last summer instead of trying to grow my own. Last year as I looked out over the shriveled barren masses, I vowed to never again plant a garden. I just don’t have a green thumb. You would think that after 11 years of trying I would just give up. Well this year I am not planting anything other than the odd flower here and there. I swear I won’t! But last night as I was wandering through the aisles of baby plants in the home and garden section, several tomato plants jumped into my cart. They were soon followed by packets of green bean seeds and packets of herbs. Then the onion sets jumped in. Damn those jumping plants! Damn my black thumb!
 
posted by Daisy Martin at 8:17 AM | Permalink |


8 Comments:


  • At May 3, 2007 at 9:27 AM, Anonymous Anonymous

    Daisy: Same thing happens here. Seems odd that even tiny plants in flats have a powerful evil pull. They can make my car turn off the main drag and into the way-too-hoitsy-toitsy- plant and garden store. Sometimes I keep them in the car for a day or two and secretly smuggle them into the yard. I have to be careful——all I do is buy the plants. The gardener lives dowstairs...and so anything I add to the garden, he has to plant! That's of course in addition to the plants that jump into his car as he travels down I65!!!

     
  • At May 3, 2007 at 6:52 PM, Anonymous Anonymous

    So....I am not the only one suffering from this affliction... I totally try to avoid my favorite stores at this time of year...Lowes and Home Depot just because the stupid Garden Center lures me into spending money I don't have on things that won't grow (very well...)and all of this to completely lose my passion for all things growing along about July 1st. I always tell my hubby it is my pancreas's fault that I don't have a green thumb...I am too busy feeling green to have any color left for my thumb! :-) LOL
    Hugs,
    Suzi
    If you find a cure for this affliction let me know...

     
  • At May 3, 2007 at 7:08 PM, Blogger Daisy Martin

    Well I'm certainly glad I'm not the only one that suffers from this disease! The black thumb of death likes company. LOL

    Suzi, it's not your face that is supposed to be green, it is your thumb!

     
  • At May 5, 2007 at 6:16 AM, Blogger Sam

    I hope the garden turns out better this year.
    If you have stinging nettles, put some in the holes before you plant your tomatos. Supposedly this helps.

     
  • At May 5, 2007 at 3:32 PM, Blogger Cindy N.

    I have just about given up on plants. I can't even grow something that you don't have to do ANYthing to. What's up with that? I want a nice flower garden, but it ain't happenin' either.

     
  • At May 6, 2007 at 8:36 AM, Blogger Kate

    tchah! Another blog added to the long list of the ones I have to read. I hadn't thought of the serious problems the contest would mean for me.

    I grow tomato and basil plants every year and at least one flat of them has to die because I forget to water it or the dog knocks it over. And it has to be about a week after I was supposed to put the plants in the ground.

    I need your email address so I can send a book. Do you mind and ARC (advance reader copy. In this case, an ebook with the "whoa this is bad" attached sheet)

     
  • At May 6, 2007 at 8:37 AM, Blogger Kate

    and based on the pictures from her garden, I'd definitely listen to any plant advice from Sam.

     
  • At May 6, 2007 at 8:38 PM, Blogger Daisy Martin

    I've never heard of stinging nettles Sam. That sounds painful. LOL I'll have to post a pic of my poor little garden this week. Or rather, the dirt where the garden wold be if the stuff would grow.

    Cindy you could do what the faith healer neighbor does. She puts plastic flowers in her flower beds during the winter months and early spring so it looks like she has a blooming garden all year long. I kid you not!

    Kate I have to tell you I am so glad to know I am not the only one that forgets to water plants. That could be part of why my thumb isn't green. Only part though. I'll send yuo my email. I don't mind an advance reader copy at all. Those are acually the best because yuo get to see all the stuff, not just the stuff that made the final cut. :-)

    And that Sam can do anything, can't she? Is there anything she can't do? I'm nominating her for Superwoman.