Fellow gardeners, inspiration struck in the garden recently and once again, I’ve proven that old gardeners can learn new tricks.
Tragedy has been turned into triumph.
I was out in the vegetable garden weeding one evening, pulling out handfuls of purslane, that awful, yes-I-know-it-is-edible-but-I-don’t-care, weed, when I tragically, inexplicably, absent-mindedly and quickly pulled my hand digging hoe through a row of tiny parsnip seedlings, wiping them out completely, removing them from the garden, once again.
As in, “once again” because this is the second time I’ve done this. “Once again”, oh what a phrase to have to use, to have to admit to!
Either I have it in for the parsnips, who never did me any harm, or I am not very astute when it comes to weeding, even though this is my 25th vegetable garden.
That’s right, this year’s vegetable garden is my 25th vegetable garden.
I planted my first vegetable garden way back in 1987, when Ronald Reagan was president, before I had my first PC or knew about blogs or even had a thought of a digital camera to capture every moment of my garden. Way back then, it was just me, a plot of ground, some seeds and one hoe. One hoe! Those were the days! I was copying what I had learned from my own Dad when I gently and expectantly poked those seeds into the ground of my first vegetable garden. Sure, I made some mistakes, but I learned from them.
Starting this 25th garden, I am still learning and coming up with new methods, new ways, new ideas… So without further ado, fuss, or build up…
Ladies and gentlemen, gardeners young and old, experienced and inexperienced, educated and un-educated, may I present…
The Official May Dreams Gardens Row Markers
In between these two markers is a newly sown row of parsnips. Even I will surely not weed them out now, if I simply remember that in between these two markers is a newly sown row of parsnips.
In between these two markers…
The New and Improved Official May Dreams Gardens Row Markers!
Now with instructions!
They are practically fool proof now, but only time will tell for sure. I’m still testing them, figuring out if they are the right width, length, and if the instructions are clear. If these markers work as I hope, I’ll end up with a nice row of parsnips.
Feel free to make your own markers, with or without writing, with or without arrows pointing to the actual row. And keep it mind that these markers work for other crops, too, including lettuce, onions, radishes, spinach, carrots, beans – basically anything you plant in a row in a vegetable garden…
I am a "rock marker" gardener. I have a batch of rocks that I use for ends of rows or patches of seed. Otherwise I would be doing the exact same thing, or planting two things in one spot.
Carol, This is a great idea~Only mine will say~You Must Weed this NOW!
LOL – I hope the marker doesn't fade. If it did, I'd forget why they were there & pick them up to use for something else.
It's crazy, but it just might work! Hope you've patented that invention.
May I suggest a further improvement? I believe they should be painted green.
Genius! Have the fairies cast spells on them to aid the germination of the seeds they are marking? If so I could do with some as my carrots seem reluctant this year.
It is difficult to fathom how the same mistakes are made over and over, in the garden or out of it. Congratulations on your new invention, and the improvement! I fear here those markers would be moved about by creatures large and tiny.
Frances
Congratulations on your 25 years of vegetable gardening, Carol! Your invention is ingenious and one I could use, too. However, I'd need a very heavy version of these markers–Sophie would assume they're her new toys and carry them off within seconds:)
This is really innovation!!! Congratulations for your Silver anniversary! Alberto
Too funny, and I love your markers. 😉 Necessity IS the mother of invention LOL, and I would have cried if I'd destroyed my parsnips (my all time favorite vegetable) for the SECOND time.
It's good to know that, 25 years later, there's still some trial-and-error — or is it error-and-trial? — that goes on in seasoned gardeners' gardens. I'm halfway through my first one and, oh!, the mistakes I've been making!
Priceless. I need a bunch of these. Pronto.
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Happy 25th veggie garden!
And I'm all for weeding only weeds. In principle… In practice I confess weeding is at best sporadic and more often done by birds, slugs and deer in my garden. (I need to train them a bit better, though, as they sometimes mistake Garden Plants with weeds…)