Thursday, May 17, 2007

Fertile Ground



These are my beleaguered sunflower seedlings. You can see my anti-cat, anti-bird protection net around them. I have placed saucers of beer out for slugs and earwigs to drown in. I have ventured out in the night with flashlight to pluck slugs and mash them against the edge of a broken flowerpot. Still I am not sure the sunflowers will make it. Chris recommends a dose of nitrogen-heavy fertilizer. He is the master gardener of our estate, so I will follow his advice.

Sometimes I think it is foolishly optimistic to grow sunflowers in our cold, foggy, wind-blown San Francisco neighborhood. But I know it's possible. Hey, we've even grown tomatoes out here, and they tasted pretty good, too. Even though they were no bigger than golf balls. But growing tomatoes, and sunflowers, requires engaging in a battle against the forces of mammals, insects, mollusks, and weather. You will be hearing more about this battle. And no, I will not be writing only about the dang garden.

1 comment:

Violeta said...

I love the image of the saucers of beer for the slugs and the earwigs to drown it- practical and poetic. : )