Green (Taped) Thumbs

Since the ideal of sustainable living seems to appealing to just about everyone nowadays it's quite trendy to grow vegetable and herb gardens. While I already live in a rural farming area, and there are already many people growing home gardens, this year the idea seems to have spread into even the tiniest of town yards. I see people digging rows with their chilren following behind with trowels, people pulling rocks and tranfsorming flower beds into herb or vegetable gardens.

Wyoming's short summer season ensures that no heavy duty garden planting occurs until mid-May, and we have a short growing time of three months. (This is why most farmers plant fast-growing feed corn, sugar beets, barley, and pinto beans.) Usually, if one wants to plant a garden from seed, it is necessary to start your plants indoors.

So far Jeff and I have planted:

• wax beans
• "Little Marvel" peas
• tomatoes of unknown pedigree
• radishes
• cucumbers
• carrots
• red onions

Our first sproutlings have cleared the tops of the milk jugs we cut apart to create seed planters. Now just to get them down to Laramie intact...

Jeff seems to have taken to horticulture as well as he takes to the rocks. Every morning he lifts the heavy wooden shelves that house the seedlings and takes it to a sheltered wall outside in the full sun. He sprinkles water onto them from a handmade watering jug he created that flows gently for seedlings. His face is set serious, mouth pursed critically, as he inspects the plants for signs of windburn or growth. I usually just grin at him, leaning against the door with my ankles crossed.

As much as I love gardening, those seedlings are his babies. I plan to take the reigns for the upcoming herbs and flowers though, as my kitchen witchy temperament demands that I take some part in this glorious growing cycle.