Gardener's Gratitude

So far this year, vegetable gardening has provided liberal returns both tangible and intangible. My son and I have eaten several helpings of spinach and salad greens. Cherry tomatoes have been ripening slowly so I just eat them on the spot. I've picked a green onion or two because I couldn't wait. Cabbage, squash, green beans, and peppers have been devoured. One cabbage seems the most at ease in the soil so I'll wait until it's ready to come inside. I wonder what it will do with its twelve inch diameter head start if any of the late bloomers also get comfortable. If any can, it will be the pumpkin and not the cantaloupe or watermelon.

I've learned to share with the birds and insects. Who wouldn't want to taste delicacies that you can't get just anywhere? I choose to plant a little more than I need rather than use pesticides. I'd much rather diversify the landscape to encourage natural predators than import them.

The squirrels are presenting a different experience. They seem to dig for fun, take one bite out of young veggies and leave them where I can find them. The squirrel and I may never reach an understanding; however, one day I hope to understand why some plants have small yields while others are prolific and some are fast growers while others take their time to mature. Do their timing and production coincide with forgotten needs of ours or some other species of nature?

I am thankful to have answers to seek. I am also grateful for the tiniest of the microorganisms in the soil to the treasured genetics of every seed to the nutrient-laden rain to the spectrum of sunlight and to all processes that make life possible for all species.

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