First, let me say that I’m delighted that my house did not burn down and was not burgled during our long absence. I’m also happy to report that the cats emerged from our long absence in good shape . Sadly, my garden did not. Out of about 7 dozen pepper plants, I lost all but about a dozen. My eggplants that survived are being eaten by flea beetles. All of my summer herbs died. Only the tomatoes did well. Don’t get me wrong; I’m grateful to the house/cat/garden sitter, but I am facing a year of eating past years’ bounty from the freezer and jars instead of fresh as we anticipated.
The tomatoes did so well for two or three reasons. First, they were planted extra deep, making them more likely to survive the drought that started when we left town. Second, I mulched them well, using straw and leaves over cardboard and newspaper. Third, I made it easy for the garden sitter to take care of them; she just had to hook up a soaker hose. Everything else required standing and watering.
Oh, well. At least I’ll get that freezer and pantry cleaned out!
Copyright 2010 Ozarkhomesteader.
Ozark Homesteader 