Growth

One thing that I can never be accused of is having a green thumb.   My intentions of having a garden were always big, but the follow-through left much to be desired.   At our previous house in Madison, WI, a garden was already installed for me, so I figured that I could just plant some seeds and forget about them.   Unfortunately, several weeks and many weeds later, my garden was out of control and not bearing any fruits or veggies whatsoever.   I planted corn that the dogs and other wild animals ate.   I planted carrots that never came to fruition.   I planted pumpkins that grew wildly out of my garden area into the yard and only produced two pumpkins.   One the size of a deflated basketball and another that got subsequently devoured by, you guessed it, the dogs and other wild animals.   When that failed, I resorted to just mowing it over every time I mowed the yard to both try and forget about the failed experiment and redeem my sense of manhood.  

When we moved here to Monroe, this year I decided that it would be in my best interest to utilize a raised garden bed as well as the tried and true "Topsy Turvy".   While I made a few mistakes at the start (planting way too many plants in too small of a space, not pruning fast enough, etc.) we have been well rewarded by our bounty.   Countless jars of dill pickles, bread and butter pickles, pickle relish, dried tomatoes, canned tomatoes, pickled peppers, and more left yet to process have graced our pantry shelves.   I have learned a lot about boiling water baths, correct pH balances, how vinegar smells in your kitchen after a long day of canning, and the family closeness that comes with the experience of growing your own produce.   With this year's harvest coming to a close, my hands have become a little more rough from the vines; however, looking down I have noticed my thumbs changing to a faint, yet noticeable, shade of light green.