I had promised garden updates off and on through the year. Here’s one. No photographs as it doesn’t look that interesting. If I find my camera tomorrow that may change.

The hoogle is not going to be happening this year. I had fallen somewhat behind in early June when I was hit by bronchitis, knocking me out of commission for two weeks. I went to work, but didn’t do anything outside. As a result, the hoogle sticks are buried in tall grass. I may still complete the building, and do planting of shallow-rooted crops if I feel like it; otherwise “wait till next year.”

The bronchitis also delayed the regular vegetable garden; to the point where I had to bring in someone to rototill it as the weeds had reclaimed it. On June 20th I limed the garden and the only reason I bring up this dull detail is to copy/paste a Facebook post that was inspired. OK, maybe not “inspired” but I thought it pretty dang funny:

“Spread lime around the veggie garden this evening, preparatory to planting on Monday. We don’t have a fertilizer spreader, so I just dumped the stuff in a little garden cart, dragged the cart to the plot and applied it. So, basically, what I did was…

“I put de lime in de garden cart den I spread it all around…
I put de lime in de garden cart den I spread it all around…
wa-hoooooo… wa-hooooooo..

I put de lime in de garden cart den I spread it all around…
I put de lime in de garden cart den I spread it all around…
wa-hoooooo… wa-hooooooo..”

Lime in the coconut

The plants were put in on Monday. Twenty-four tomato plants (12 ‘Better Boy,’ 8 ‘Celebrity,’ and 4 ‘Early Girl), four acorn squash and four cantaloupes. On Wednesday evening/Thursday morning a deer jumped the chicken-wire fence around it and ate 6 tomato plants and 2 or 3 acorn squashes. So Thursday my wife had the idea of using last year’s garden fence (cheap netting for vines as I couldn’t afford better stuff; worked all right last year nonetheless) as an additional barrier. So with that in mind, that fence was place maybe 4 feet farther out from the chicken wire fence. Deer have little to no depth perception and won’t jump over if they can’t figure out the distance.

It’s working so far. Now to replace the plants so savagely killed…

Are you a creative Catholic? "The Catholicpunk Manifesto" is my new book exhorting Catholics to apply their faith to change the culture for the better!

Know someone, perhaps yourself, who might like Catholic devotionals for alcoholics? Please take a look at my books! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)