Gardening?
Well, unfortunately I’m no expert in gardening. But we’re going to grow a garden this year anyway! (So Mom and Dad Gretencord, feel free to throw all kinds of suggestions our way, PLEASE!)
It’s been something we’ve only talked about for the last couple of years, but never acted on because it seemed like it was one more thing to keep up with. And out neighborhood seems to be a recreational community for squirels. But now Therese is at an age where it could be fun and a learning experience for us all. Adam is going to try to make a fun interactive learning game out of it. While I’m just going to try not to kill the plants!
Phase one is digging up the area. After reading that our friends the Roses have already started, we figured we’d better get off our haunches and do something. So Therese and I started digging and weeding today. We disrupted the homes of some yucky grub worm and spiders.
Adam has a friend at work who’s into organic gardening (SCORE!). She gave us the following remedies for those pesky will grub worms.
“Soak a few (3-4) cigarettes in water, which will give you diluted nicotiene sulfate. That kills grubs. If you are finding more than 10 per square foot, it means your soil is stressed. You should top-dress with about a half-inch of good compost and dig it in. If the cigarette thing grosses you out (and why wouldn’t it) — you can also spray the soil with NEEM oil.”Thanks Anne!
So, if you have a green thumb, please feel free to let us know what to do! I’m open to all kinds of suggestions.
Throw suggestions at you? Heck! I’ll throw you my killer of a tiller, my hoe, my garden gloves, my knee pads, my whiny kids who always said, “I’m not going to eat any of this, why should I have to weed it?” But, there is nothing like sweet corn and tomatoes fresh from the garden! Good luck!!
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That must have been Marc. I wouldn’t have said anything like that.
Good luck, the Gretecords! I am excited about your garden so that we can share stories and experience. When I put the tiny seeds in the holes, I thought “these things are so small; how can they every grow?”, but Katie has assured me that they will.
What are you, Amish? Don’t you remember pulling all the weeds out between the corns? Watering the tomatoes? Hours and hours of shucking? Heck, while you’re at it, you might as well do your own taxes….
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Yes, Marc I do remember doing all that because someone else for some convenient reason “wasn’t feeling well” or had some other lame excuse…
That was one year and I just got out of a week in the hospital after surgery. I wasn’t allowed out of bed! I’ll send Therese her butter churning barrell next week. Might as well get her trained now.
Butter churning barrell! Dude you’re brilliant! Why didn’t we think of that before?!! Now you’re talking Marc!
All I can say is that Sr. Maria Kolbe and I did our fair share after you boys left home!
I think throughout the years we did it was because Mom said she’d take us swimming afterwords if we got done in time. I remember how Bosco would run off with some ears and Dad would have a truckload or several wagon loads of corn to sit and shuck while he listen to Rush or oldies. Ahhh, being kids again…Plus, you had Aunt Shirley’s garden in all her glory(only because she toiled all day in it) and Marc would walk by and make the teacher sound effects from Charlie Brown at ours. Remember that one, Smuckers? 
Good luck with your garden! 
My last garden experience after 10 years or so of weeding Mom’s and Dad’s plot (tomatoes, radishes, green onions, carrots, more tomatoes, and still more tomatoes — how many tomatoes can one family eat tomatoes!!!!!), was breaking out in hive-like bumps, up and down both arms. After a doctor’s visit it turned out poison ivy had invaded our plot. The end of the Alkire plot forever!
I find that the SUPERMARKET is an excellent source of produce of all varieties! Therese, arise! Revolt while there is still time! Uncle Marc is right! A cow in your back yard will be next!
Fr. Tim
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You know Father, planting seaons lasts year round here in Texas. I’m sure we’ll find something for you to do on your next visit…
Oh my…an Indiana migrant on the Gretencord farm….