The State of Our Garden

Final words first- a total takeover by weeds.

We were unable to secure the garden spot we had last year. So we searched and found another one in a different location. Unlike the last one, this new community garden had some added benefits that we missed last time.

This new garden comes with water wells next to our lot which means we could water the garden as often and as much as needed. The last one was on a hilly area and lacked adequate water sources.

This new garden also comes with fence which can prevent uninvited guests such as wildlife from coming and eating our produce. The fence, however, can’t block small animals like rabbits. They already made their presence known by eating our tomatoes and cucumbers. I guess it’s a tax that we have to pay to the wildlife for growing things in their neighborhood.

With the abundance of water and soil amendments, our garden had a better start. We tilted, fertilized, and planted seeds with a lot of enthusiasm. As the seedlings raised heads above the surface, we cleaned regularly to keep the weeds. Then came an excessive raining periods that flooded and soaked the soil badly to the point we couldn’t get to our garden for a few days.

With plenty of rain and our absence, the weeds found a golden opportunity to grow and thrive. We went back a few times and cleaned as much as possible.

A few days later it rained more and more. We found the weeds came back even stronger this time and out competed most of our plants in growth spurts. This time the invasion was so forceful that we gave up cleaning and with that hope for any more harvest. It was a fight between the weeds and us, and we declared lost.

But not everyone declares lost until the last breath. Our tomato plants are the last plants standing and fighting the weeds. Anyone reading this story should wish them good luck.