Dixon Lagniappe...a little something extra

Although I lived in the area before…I don’t remember much of the “weather” patterns…but okay…the clouds lately just aren’t “normal”…are they? However…my little green “soldiers” are battling it out in the garden against the “enemy”.

And who is this “enemy”? Well at first it was the inadvertent over-watering due to um…user error and the automatic timers. So…that issue was worked out. Unfortunately, two of the “gold” bell peppers met their demise due to…well…..I am assuming rotting roots and the ever present wet soil.  Well let me revise my list of casualties…there were two green bush bean plants that were replaced. One of the original three did survive…thank you garden gods! And well…oh yes…one of the “pearl” tomato plants wasn’t liking its new digs…no worry there…I love fried green tomatoes and would you believe there is a tomato plant that produces “green” tomatoes…who would have thought it!  So…one of those plants now graces the ground.

Now to enemy number one. The bug or bugs…who decided to take my “second” cantaloupe plant hostage. I even took a picture…I had thought the melon was getting too much water…not the case. And did you notice I said “second”…the first cantaloupe did not make it. Perhaps I didn’t quite get all of the roots covered…or….the bugs chewed it up like a great feast.  I am gonna go with the “bugs” did it.

So…as life sometimes happens…I had go out of town for a few days and was fully expecting to come back and find the cantaloupe shriveled up…or at least down to a stick of what it once was…eaten by said lovely bugs.

However, to my utter delight…and complete shock (I did forget to mention that I sprayed the plants with “earth”-friendly-only-going-to –kill-bad-stuff-safe-to-eat spray) that cantaloupe…although a bit disfigured…was indeed still alive and kicking.

And on further inspection…and probably due to being correctly watered and not flooded…all the plants seem to be thriving and doing their thing! Beans, peppers and my beloved acorn squash appear to be “happy”.

Even my patio tomato runt (wasn’t sure this one was going to make it either…this plant was a “transplant” from a bucket…and I should have chosen his “larger” brothers) and digging in…not surrendering to me…the “novice” gardener and must be saying "I think I can...I think I can."

It’s a wonderful thing to see something grow that you yourself planted and are caring for…Mother Nature is a wonder to behold...and we won't yet mention that the future of these plants is indeed...um...on my dinner plant. Shhhhhhhh....lets not tell them! They may not react well to that.