Since it's the dead of winter, I am seriously missing my garden. It hits me every year around this time. Usually because we are inundated with several feet of snow and everything is fifty shades of snow with ice underneath. This year it's because we live in a rental, in Florida, and even though the weather is superb without so much as a flake in sight, I'm not allowed to garden. Imagine that! Not allowed to rip up the beautifully manicured lawn in the H.O.A. and plant tomatoes and carrots. Apparently, you can take the country girl out of the country but she will still want to plow the backyard.
Anyhow, I can't help but remembering our acre in Wisconsin. We had traveled half way across the state to get 3 year old blueberry bushes from a farm that had them still in pots. We purchased 7 bushes and took them home and turned them into a hedge of sorts. We got a decent harvest from them but it would have been a bumper crop this upcoming year because they were set in their new home.
My husband bought us a handy dandy front tyne rototiller to till up the garden plot after I whined and moaned about turning it by hand. I mean, seriously...did he really think I was going to turn a 150x 80 foot garden by hand? Yeah, I totally would have, cause I'm seriously dedicated. As you can see in the following picture, the tiller came in quite handy. I wish I had gotten video of my being dragged around the yard by that thing. I'm sure it was a sight to behold.
We learned quite quickly that fencing was very necessary even in town. The deer in Wisconsin give no craps that you spent every waking hour of the last three months tending to this beautiful garden. They think it's the new salad bar in town. We also learned very quickly that they can jump a 5 foot fence, can pick simple locks, and will stomp you if you try to stop them.
Sorry for the fuzzy picture...he was making noises and stomping his feet at me and I was pretty sure it was not the song of his people.
We finally had to order coyote urine to place around the gardens to keep the deer at bay. Which worked beautifully until they realized the pee did not present any actual threat. Needless to say, I lost 150 brand new strawberry plants, numerous tomato plants, watermelon plants, pumpkins, apples, peaches, and 1 poor little blueberry bush. I had placed a hit out on the deer until I realized it was an entire deer family. I had basically become the crazy lady on the block who ran up the hill, screaming "Get Off My Lawn!!!" at furry woodland creatures.
At any rate, we did get a nice harvest. Not what it would have been, but still nothing to complain about. Besides all the wonderful things we planted, we also had wild black raspberries and mulberries growing on the property.
The wild black raspberries!
One of our ill fated strawberry plants.
Cucumbers! These made the best pickles!!
Our tomato plant jungle! These tomato plants were 6 feet tall...prior to the deer trimming them back, lol.
To say I miss it would be an understatement! I feel at home in the dirt and weeds. I will get back to it soon enough, but for now I am dreaming of spring and new beginnings.