Tales from the Pandemic Garden

A series of unfortunate horticultural events

Photo by Conner Baker via Unsplash

“Turn your face to the sun, and the shadows fall behind you.” — proverb

Like a lot of people, I decided to start a pandemic garden this year. Since an internship was postponed, I had a lot more free time in the spring. I couldn’t do my usual fun activities, like going to the movies, so I decided: I’ll garden! After all, how hard can it be?

Now, I am not new to gardening. I have been weeding beds and pulling the sucker shoots off tomatoes since I was a kid. But I hadn’t attempted a large garden in years.

First, I started some plants from seed. Someone I know runs a small plant nursery every spring, so I was able to get more seedlings without going to a big store or gardening center.

I had carefully maintained a compost bin over the past year, so I didn’t need to buy fertilizer. (I also got a few mystery plants from the compost. Win-win.)

However, things got off to a rocky start. April and May had unseasonably chilly weather. It even snowed in May, which I had never seen before in my area. I had to keep my plants inside so they’d stay warm, but away from my cats so they’d stay alive.

I put my plants in clear plastic containers, taking them out for a little while to…