Fairy GardenMother

How to get a garden planted in your yard with very little effort on your part:

1 Agree to put up a batting cage (scroll down to "some things I would like to buy") in your back yard. Call Tractor Man to come and till up the east side of the backyard and move the tilled dirt out so there is a level place for the cage.

1. Inquire whether Tractor Man could till up a little plot on the west side of the yard for you to fool around with gardening some vegetables. When Tractor Man finishes, look at the area he's magically turned into a garden bed and realize that you are about to fool around with gardening a lot of vegetables. Like a 12 x 20 plot of vegetables. Panic just a little bit.

2. When your friend and backyard neighbor calls, tell her about your new garden. When she asks if she and her kids can come over and sprinkle some seeds, encourage her. Remember, there's plenty of room.

3. On Saturday morning as you're just finishing up the grocery shopping, get a call from your friend. Come home and unload flat after flat of tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, strawberries and broccoli. Then examine the seeds. Lettuce, cucumbers, sweet corn, squash and pumpkins. Get ready to plant.

4. Plant seeds. Then plant seedlings. Then more seeds. Do lots of digging and directing the five assorted children where to put the seeds and where not to spray the hose (umm, at you). Become exhausted, take a nap and watch the freaky hailstorm pellet your tiny plants.

5. The next day, meet for more planting. Assess the damage from the hail and proclaim that everything will probably make it. Notice that the plot is really filling up. Dig holes where you are going to plant Three Sisters a little more shallowly. Digging is hard.

6. Finish the Three Sisters. Water everything. Yell at the dog to get the heck off of the potato row. Thank your lucky stars for your friend/Fairy GardenMother and invite her over for a margarita on the deck to watch the garden grow.

Thanks Steph!