Tiny Victories

I have been neglecting a blog post about my garden. I could prattle on about being busy and tired and blah blah blah, but I won't. I will simply say that so far, I have experienced a LOT of failure this year.

To be fair, this is our first season in Shangri La House and I have had to get to know the land. The spot I originally had thought would be best for some elevated garden beds ended up being way too shady from our massive maple tree and too marshy due to a nearby storm sewer. I had no idea the way our untreated yard (who wants to grow their own only to put in more chemicals?) would provide respite for countless weeds and how those weeds would infiltrate the beds, threatening to choke out the good plants.

But yes, fail I have. Every plant I attempted to start from seed in the greenhouse died. I dropped an entire seeded tray face down on the patio directly after having sown it. I planted seeds directly in the ground that were washed away by a tumultuous spring storm. And more that were washed away by an even more tumultuous early summer storm.

But there are small victories: the upside down cucumber plant that is now boasting half a dozen flowers and the evidence of a soon-to-be cucumber and the herb garden that I married into an existing perennial bed amongst the mums and echinacea, throwing in a spare pepper plant. And tonight, the joy I felt as I discovered a tomato and a basil plant, nearly overcome from weeds and an overzealous rose bush. I had given those seeds up for dead and here they were, fighting to survive.

I cleared away the weeds and praised those tiny, brave plants.

Today, I am victorious.