Small Garden / Planted Late
Is it Worth it?
Originally posted July 13, 2018
With the unpredictable and oddly lengthy winter this year causing us to get a late start on finishing our greenhouse, we got a late start on our gardens. So, was it even worth it?
Even if we only produce the most minuscule number of veggies, each one is delicious. Each one is one less vegetable that we must purchase. Each one is one vegetable free of unnatural pesticides and fertilizers. Each one is one vegetable produced by our own personal hard work.
So, for every few cucumbers, we end up with a fabulous tasty jar of homemade pickles.
For each tomato that turns red, it tastes that much sweeter (and yes, I know tomatoes are a fruit and not a vegetable, but I’m just generalizing “vegetables” for the purpose of this blog).
Then there is still the squash that is finally coming out, and the peppers!
Then of course there are the ones we lose… and with such a small amount, it is difficult to deal with losing any when you work so hard. I don’t know a single gardener though that has ever had a perfect garden - untouched by caterpillars, aphids, etc. This is most certainly a problem, but when life gives you lemons… well, you know the saying. I put the caterpillars to use though – this is free feed for my bearded dragon. For those of you with chickens, I’m sure you are very familiar with this unwelcome “lemon” as well. Then of course the rabbits are happy to eat the greens off anything we pick, regardless if it comes out of the ground perfect for us or not.
So, whether you plant perfectly on time, a bit late, or only one cherry tomato plant in the windowsill of your kitchen – it is always absolutely, undeniably, worth every second you spend nurturing it.
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