Earth’s essentials

By Dee Reid

My fall garden wasn’t worth a damn. None of the lettuce and chard seeds I planted in August and September had germinated (too hot). The transplants I tried a little later wilted (too dry) and the last burst of summer tomatoes just seemed to be stagnant on the vine (too everything).

I watered of course, but it just wasn’t enough. Earth was peeved and there was nothing I could do about it.

Then weather man said it might rain (I’ve heard that line before). Ever hopeful, I dumped a load of compost on the beds, just in case. And waited for something good to happen.

Two hours later the sky opened up. Today, after a couple of days of steady, delicious rain, the sun came out. I missed my garden and wondered if anything good had happened while I was hibernating indoors. When I walked past the beds on my way to get the morning papers, I was startled by bright red orbs beckoning.

On further inspection, I found a respectable crop of ripe tomatoes and a bed of downright perky greens. The chard transplants seemed to be waving at me, and the lettuce was starting to look like salad.  Leafy sweet potatoe vines were everywhere.

Seeds that lay dormant for weeks, were now poking their new tops through the topsoil. And a volunteer squash plant had sprawled across its bed.

It seems they had all been waiting patiently for the essential rain and cooler temperatures that only Earth could provide, and just in time.

I bet she’s wondering when and if we will start doing our part to get our climate back in balance, before it’s too late.