Work Ethic and the Garden of Eden

We have had some really nice days in a row and I decided that we needed to get the flower beds planted and the garden planted. There was rain in the forecast for tomorrow so that was the big hurry. If it rains in Dallas I have to postpone any garden work for about 5 days until the ground dries out. We have a nasty, thick, black clay to work with. Good news, not a rock to be found. Bad news, no sand to lighten the clay or help with drainage.

I got the flowers in Saturday. It sure looks nice to have flowers growing in the beds instead of weeds. I usually buy the flowers then work on the beds but I decided to do it a little differently this time. I dug up the beds first then went to go buy the flowers. Sometimes when I buy the flowers first, I get distracted and I don't get the flowers planted for days or even a week. It is pretty hard to keep them alive when they are not in the ground. I planted pink begonias with bronze leaves. I also planted a row of daffodils. I hope most of the perennials come up this spring. I always lose a little something each year.

Yesterday I decided that Joe needed to learn some of the gardening skills I have attained over the years. This involves a lot of work and he was not too happy to participate. I responded in my usual fashion. I told him he was going to continue to work until he stopped whining and actually did a good job. I had to give him a good two and a half hours of chores for him to get to the point where he wasn't whining and he had an acceptable work quality. He was helping me break up the hard soil with a shovel when he got to this point. It was really hard work! We started talking about how originally the Earth naturally produced fruits and vegetables until after the fall, and Adam was cursed to have to work all of the days of his life. We discussed how it was really a blessing to be able to work because that meant you have a strong body and are able. Work allows you to get money and progress. It keeps you busy and helps you not to worry about things you really don't have control over. I asked Joe if he ever thought that he would consider hard work to be a blessing. I was surprised that he said that he thought it was a blessing that very day! We talked about what we were going to plant and how nice it would be to eat fresh vegetables this summer. He really wanted to plant a tomato plant that would produce large tomatoes. I usually plant small and medium tomatoes but today I bought a Beef Steak tomato plant for Joe.

It would be nice if the work ethic could be instilled in one session but my kids aren't like that. Today while cleaning up the grass trimmings in the backyard I had to tell Joe that he needed to redo a section. "You're never happy with anything I do!" I think my kids say this because they are trying to get out of work. Like I am supposed to be happy with any half hearted effort on their part. I put it in words that he could understand. "You are doing a C- job instead of an A job." He started to do a little better. Maybe I would give him a B. I know it is going to take years to train him to be a good worker.

I planted 5 tomato plants:

Sweet 100's
Early girls
Beef Steak
Husky red cherry tomatoes
BF40 (I think) It is a new hybrid that is supposed to do well in Texas.

After I planted the tomatoes I put the huge five foot cages up around them. It seems kind of like dressing a baby in adult sized clothes. The trouble is that if you don't put up the big cages when you have the infant plant you end up tearing them apart when they need to be staked. It is just easier to start out with the end in mind. The Early Girls should be ready about the first of May!


I planted zucchini and yellow crooked neck squash. I hope I can keep the bugs off this year.

I planted a Jumbo Jalapeno plant and a Fajita green pepper plant.

I decide not to plant eggplant this year because I'm just not into all of the eggplant that one plant will produce.

I planted Sweet basil and Thai basil.

My cilantro and flat Italian parsley made it through the winter so they are still there. It has been nice to have fresh herbs all winter.

After I got the plants in, the backyard cleaned up, and the new plants mulched I started to put the leaves on the bare dirt to hold in moisture and keep down the weeds. That is when it started to rain. I decided to just finish the job and take a shower at the end. The leaf pile would be more painful to put in the garden after it gets soaked with rain for a few days. Make hay while the sun shines, and even if there is a downpour.