Mud Pie

Look at all that beautiful dirt! It's pretty gorgeous, right? Actually, it's not dirt at all. It's compost. Last year this poor veggie patch was more like a rock garden, despite the amount of back-breaking work I put into it. I tore up all that grass by hand. (Not as easy as it sounds, I learned.) I dumped in 40-pound bags of fertilizer and peat moss and hauled all those heavy rocks from across the yard to make the border. 

Despite all that, the results were unimpressive. Here and there a plant sprouted which was quickly nibbled up by the rabbits, squirrels and deer. At least our neighborhood rodents were well fed.

This year, however, there's a new game plan. The rocky soil is out, the expensive compost is in. This stuff is amazing: rich, black and soft. Completely rock-free. I've put it around the hydrangeas, the clematis, the pansies, the butterfly bushes. We've taken to calling it garden crack. Can't get enough of it.

Another important addition this year: I'm adding an anti-deer fence. It's not the prettiest thing,  which is unfortunate, since the garden sits smack in the middle of the back yard. But I'll suffer through an unsightly barrier in exchange for some juicy cucumbers and fresh baby lettuce. I'm already dreaming of those mouth-watering tomato-basil pastas I'm going to make. There's nothing better than a home-grown organic tomato in the summer. Except a margarita to go with it.

Jarv figures with everything I've spent on this crazy project, it will work out to about $6 a carrot. He's probably right. But it's well worth it.

I told you we knew how to party out here in the 'burbs.