Greetings Rural Sprout readers,  What a week! We finally got some rain. The good kind, too; a nice long soak that lasted a
couple of days. And then the skies cleared, the breeze blew in, and the sun shone. Absolutely glorious. The kind of weather you wish will last all summer.  The garden sure needed it,
and I know the farmers are much happier too.  But now that the sun is out and I can work in the garden again, I find myself avoiding it. The strange start to the growing season with all those late frosts seemed to freeze my desire to play in the
dirt as well. With each late frost and each setback, I lost a bit more momentum.  Then throw in a week at the beach, and it seems my desire to get growing has gone to
seed.  Do you ever have years like this, friends? Where you think, “Maybe I’ll just take this year off,” and you’re just not feeling it. Gardening begins to feel like a chore more than something you enjoy. It’s silly, really; gardening is a
chore.  It’s a lot of work, but the benefits far exceed the work, so most of the time, it’s a joy to be on my knees pulling up weeds or doing something as simple as walking around my garden and admiring everything that’s growing.  But this season, something feels off. I know some of it is June.  June is that weird month in our growing zone where
you’ve got everything planted, and your spring veggies are just starting to taper off, but the summer stuff isn’t quite there yet. June is gardening limbo.  But this June is especially
frustrating.  Because of the late start to the growing season, most of the plants are much smaller than they normally would be. My tomatoes are just now reaching a foot tall. My eggplant isn’t even that high and is already being devoured by flea
beetles.  It’s hard to walk around my garden and not be frustrated.  Surely we’ve all had a season or two over the years where we want to pretend our veggie garden doesn’t exist and find other things to do over the summer because there’s always something more fun to do in the nice weather than weed the garden.  We lost quite a few plants to those late frosts. Things that we grew from seed because we knew we wouldn’t find them locally. And
now I’m looking at an entire season without those veggies. No blistered shishitos.   I have a feeling if I spend a few more days in the garden, the sunshine will grow my gardening fervor
as well as my plants.  Just tonight, I was marveling at all the calendula plants that self-seeded this year. The yarrow seeds I planted last year sprouted up in March and are days away from bursting into flower. And the tender chamomile plants that I covered and uncovered and
covered and uncovered and covered and uncovered are a good two feet high now.  I will press on, whether I feel like it or not, because that’s what we do. And hopefully, it will only be a matter of time before my gardening grow-jo returns. I think eating a sun-ripened tomato from my garden would help immensely.  What do you do, my friends, when you’re frustrated with your gardens? Have you ever taken a year off and given yourself a break? How do you get back
into the swing of things after a few setbacks? I’d love to hear from you. Â
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For ages now, there has been a war waged against tomato suckers. Prune 'em, pinch 'em, cut 'em off.…
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Nothing announces the arrival of summer better than the first bite into a sun-warmed strawberry. This…
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If you've got chickens, you already know they're curious little buggers. You'll often find them where…
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The relationship between a plant and its environment is as old as time. Once a plant is in the…
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Zucchini and squash are popular plants. They make great additions to many gardens. And there are a…
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Vegetable gardening is a lot easier than beginners think. But there are a lot of things that can go…
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Here's your definitive list of what vegetables to grow in raised beds and what vegetables you…
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Can you imagine life without potatoes? No hash browns or fries, nor a baked spud or a bowl of garlic…
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Get it right when it comes to choosing and growing potatoes and you can enjoy your own home grown…
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Your home life is more wasteful than you realize. The average American household consumes more than…
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newsletter or want to go back and read a few for inspiration - Click this link. Don't forget
to check out our Facebook page for daily updates.  That's all for this week, Rural Sprout Readers.
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Sincerely, Tracey Besemer Editor |
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