The word going around is that we all need to start growing the five foods we need to survive and as soon as I go buy the barbecue potato chip seeds I’m ready to get started.
Hopefully they’ll be near the omelet seeds and the enchilada seeds. I’ll also need one pasta al vodka sauce with Italian sausage plant and the seed of the great climbing gummy vine.
I’m kidding of course. I’d take a chicken pot pie tree over a gummy vine any day.
If only.
Instead the post-apocalyptic lineup at our house is looking like tomatoes, broccoli, peppers, green beans and kale. There’s a chance we could substitute spinach in for kale and isn’t that exciting?
The world is in a precarious place. If the pandemic wasn’t enough, 2022 greets us with a madman bombing homes and hospitals in Ukraine only because he wants to end freedom there just like he has in Russia.
My Own Urban Garden
Decades later, with my own young son at my side, we have launched an urban garden in the nation’s capital. Lucky for you, we’ve watched the YouTube videos and are happy to report that growing vegetables from seeds in the big city is easy, as long as you follow these simple pointers: Plant them in containers that are not too small (or too big), don’t water them too little (or too much), don’t water them the wrong way or you’ll invite disease, make sure the soil has the proper nutrients and that you maintain it with plant food that is not the wrong kind like you usually buy. Did you check the pH of the soil? What were you thinking?
Oh, and make sure your plants get plenty of sunlight (but also shade when they want it), constantly check for signs of pests (which by Order of the Wife can only be battled with natural remedies) and be mindful that squirrels are hungry just like you.
And whatever you do, don’t place plants near other plants they don’t like. Apparently tomatoes and broccoli have a feud that goes way back and at this point a reconciliation is not possible. Let’s just keep the broccoli near the lettuce, while the carrots clearly have sided with the tomato, who also are known to be quite formidable when planted amid a fortress of their ally the marigold.
