Overgrown!

I had the bright idea of planting herbs and flowers in my vegetable garden.  "It will be pretty!"  "It will be convenient!" "It cannot possibly create a problem!"  All of these were convincing arguments for doing such.  Michael warned me against this folly but I refused to listen.  Now..I am paying the price.  All might have gone swimmingly had I thought this thing through before just plopping seeds in the ground. It all started with the fact that my garden space has been cut tremendously.  Our new shed sits where the large garden spot was supposed to be this year and we all know that sheds definitely take precedence over veggies!  Actually, we were in dire need of a shed so I cannot complain too much about this.  Still, this left me with a tiny garden. Plus, this tiny garden sits under my clothesline.  I should definitely seen the difficulty in this situation!  Try hanging clothes on the line all the while dodging squash and petunia plants!  I do.  It is not fun.

Even with the clothesline in the middle of the garden, I should have been able to make it work.  But..silly me..I planted herbs and flowers in between the veggies.  Not too brilliant!  Now the garden looks a lot like a rain forest!  It has become impenetrable!  I feel like I need a huge machete just to pick squash!  Of course, our warm and humid weather could be to blame (surely not my planting).  The squash are thigh high, the watermelons have climbed to great heights, the sunflowers are towering and somewhere under all of this are the bell peppers.  Those had small peppers on them when I last saw them!  I am quite sure that by now they are the size of a football!  Since I fear for my life among the mint and basil, I send Michael in to do the picking!  After all, sons are brave!  Somehow, he manages to find the delicate, baby yellow squash and the tender five-inch-long cucumbers between the mass of foliage.  Occasionally, I will hear him remark calmly..."You are not a cucumber." and I know that he has come across some critter lurking under the cantaloupe vines or among the thick, aromatic sage plants.  Several Southern Black Racers call the garden home as do a few Box Turtles and I am more than certain a number of voles or mice.  Ms. Put, the cat, even steers clear of the entanglement of plants!  She must fear of becoming forever lost among the chamomile or zinnias!

At least there is one nice thing about this lush garden!  Very few weeds have dared to sprout!  I believe that they are literally drowned out before they can reach sunlight!  Or perhaps weeds do not like chives and crowder peas!  But I do!  And my thick mess of a garden does look attractive even if it is impervious!