I was feeling optimistic last month when I planted the winter garden. I crafted a durable cover for the planting beds before preparing the soil. I smiled to myself as I scattered those seeds, knowing they would soon be under cover.  Maybe I could outsmart those squirrels. With just enough mesh wire to cover the top box, I would have to settle for bird netting on the lower one.  Knotted and staked and freshly watered, alas, all was well.

Upper Vegetable Bed
One lone, out-of-season, pumpkin plant

Lower Vegetable Bed
Pumpkins!

What a dreamer!  Lindy-Lu thought all that fresh dirt was for her.  She didn’t mind one bit that I covered the planting box with mesh. She took care of “business” on top of the netting without a care in the world.  My little plot was now littered with carnivorous droppings, the world’s worst fertilizer.  I cleaned out the offending bits, then smoothed out the soil. I added a scrap of chicken wire but didn’t have enough for full coverage.  So much for optimism.

Ironically, nothing seems to be coming up in the fortified box, unless you count a Cosmo and a Pumpkin!  Don’t they know it’s almost winter?  In reality, we’re all confused.  We had record-breaking heat yesterday, the hottest November 5th since the early 1900’s!  We’ve continued to “enjoy” hot weather, even though the angle of the sun says fall.  Do you think the winter seeds are lying low till they get the news that fall has really arrived?

I picked up a pair of cell packs at the nursery today with broccoli and cauliflower. Rain is in the forecast for Thursday with a twenty-degree drop in temps. I’ll get them into the boxes tomorrow and then I’ll do my little rain dance.

Vegetable Cell Packs