The Twins and I have been busy looking over seed catalogs for this coming season's gardening ideas. Their Momma would like to try cranberries. I'm not sure that will happen. The Twins and I have spent a couple days discussing this.
The one twin is quick to point out the cold snow heavy on the ground. He already feels this might be a permanent condition here in WI. He has felt bad we haven't been able to dig any blue and pink potatoes.
The other twin is much more optimistic. He has seen a plunger-type seed planter resembling a liquid medicine dropper with which he is fascinated. It is a machine. The Twins have motorized tractors that they drive about, farming. The tractors have wagons. They literally load produce and harvest using tiny tractors. However, most of the garden work is done with hand tools or the tiller "Little Man". This seed starter machine looks interesting, the allure of moving parts.
The tiny white 'Lumina' pumpkins have also caught his eye. He has pointed out peaches as a possibility, too.
Baby Gardener simply wants to eat the pages of the seed catalog, given any opportunity. Maybe that's his input that it's all good with him.
My brother, ever pragmatic, asks if we need such a large garden. There was that sweet corn, stalk and all that we cut for the donkeys. What about that bowl of carrots that froze and also ended up donkey fodder. Well, it wasn't wasted, was it? Sister-in-law and I point out. Dear Sister-in-law and I simply look at him cross-eyed. A better balanced garden, yes; smaller, no. I am already out of chopped sweet red peppers. I say maybe fewer Contender bean and gooseberries. He is quick to point out with the terrible weather, gooseberry was nearly our only fruit crop; no grapes, no apples, no cherries because of the frosts.
So. The same size garden for next year.
The Twins have found a picture of a brambled ball of grapevines covered with hanging gourds and squash amidst tall sunflowers in one of the seed catalogs. It looks like a small house. The Twins like to go camping. Each has his own tent. They are continually making houses of sheets, chairs, and clothes pins.
Their Poppa has read them the story of the three little wolves and the industrial big pig. Hmmm.
In this story the little wolves are busy building houses. One of these houses is a house made of flowers. It is the strongest one for some reason and brings peace to industrialized pigland.
So this tiny garden house might be something. We have a spot where a stumpy ball of boxelder root was covered with black plastic. We keep cutting away at any growth, rototilling at the roots. At this point we plow and plant around it.
Starting seed for the family vegetable garden is a good two months away at this point. We will continue to ponder this year's garden projects.
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