I'm a fan of things that are instant. I like my Netflix streaming, where many of my favorite TV shows and movies are ready for me to watch at the press of a button. I like digital photography and how I can see my pictures right away on my computer. I like online shopping - with the click of the mouse, a new book or pair of shoes or even groceries can be on their way to my doorstep and I never have to even leave the house.
But when it comes to gardening, there's not a lot of instant gratification. You plant a seed in March with the hope of having fresh tomatoes in July or August. There is also a period of waiting once you've put your garden in. I've been watering my garden daily, and I fertilized this weekend, but there's not too much going on yet.
I can see noticeable growth in my sweet pepper plants and my tomatoes, and my herbs are starting to fill out as well. I picked up a few more pepper plants this weekend - the habanero peppers I started from seed have not been doing very well, and since my husband loves his hot peppers, I wanted to make sure that I would have peppers for him later on this summer. I also grabbed a yellow bell pepper plant for me and stuck it between the ones I grew from seed in my staircase planter.
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The flowers that I saw on my pea plants last week have given way to these little pea pods.
I like doing my daily inspection of the garden each evening as I water my plants, seeing how my cosmos and morning glories are getting stronger and fuller. And for the patient gardener, there are little discoveries every day that make all the wait worthwhile. On Monday, I found that the blossoms on my pea plants that I wrote about last week have transformed into pea pods. Just a little while longer and I'll have fresh peas to eat.
Despite my remarks about gardening not being an instant-gratification hobby, I did get a hanging basket for my cottage garden, ready assembled with pretty purple and orange petunias already blooming. I considered picking out plants and making a hanging basket myself, but as I was shopping for other things, this basket caught my eye and I couldn't resist it. Besides, it adds a bit of color to the front of my house while I wait for my cottage garden flowers to start blooming.
Share your gardening stories and tips with me at mwyko@tribtoday.com.