Green Teeth

Let my words, like vegetables, be tender and sweet, for tomorrow I may have to eat them.
~ Author Unknown

When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.

~Author Unknown


There’s not a whole lot of opportunity to grow things in a postage-stamp sized yard, sandwiched between tall houses and shaded by taller trees. But there are ways, and every spring I get the itch to play with dirt, manure, peat moss and seedlings. When the neighbor put up a 6-foot privacy fence, it was put to good use. Each year I add a couple of window boxes – they’re just the right size for herbs, lettuce and spinach.

(The white "snow" is the after-effect of a day of heavy wind, which blew the blooms off the tree that shades the entire yard except that little strip against the fence. As pretty as the tree is, I kind of wish it would blow over, too, so more sun could peek in!)

My all-time favorite herb is parsley – I can eat it like candy (I’m sure my teeth look real purty afterwards). Yummm!


Because of all the asbestos siding and lead paint in an old neighborhood like ours, I prefer to plant veggies in containers, and flowers in the ground. It’s a bit limiting, but greens and tomatoes do well (even when neglected, as I’ve previously mentioned!), and it keeps me from going overboard, since I don’t have much spare time.


Tonight I picked swiss chard and spinach for supper. Amazing how that stuff shrinks from a big pile of leaves to a tiny little portion in the pan! But it made a yummy side dish for our hamburgers and sweet potato fries.

Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty, and generally taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity.
~ Lindley Karstens

That's exactly how I feel. Love the smell, love the feel of the dirt, and love the quiet peace that comes over me, after a long, hard day of busyness and noise. AND my lazy side is very pleased with the small, manageable size and ease of container gardening! Good feelings all around. I think I'll celebrate with a big ol' bowl of parsley.