Plights, blights and bunnies. And also a dog that is now dyed magenta. Heh.

Our garden has struggled mightily this year – not surprising since it traveled several miles northwest from its original location. Plants tend not to like that, their roots get tired. Especially, well established plants like our oregano bush which now more resembles oregano sticks.

But that is not the only indisposition suffered by their sad little petals.

Michigan springs do not start until June. To that point we have frequent freezes.
We also have a lot of rain. Cold plus rain equals mold.

Since June, cold has not been an issue as we’ve had a record number of days above 90. And more rain. But not gentle breezy showers, rather 4 – 6 inches at a time in just a few hours, followed by 2 weeks without rain and scorching temperatures.

This combination of weather features has left our local irascible farmers quite irritable and our little garden has not been let off the hook despite our epic efforts, leaving us with quite curtailed and chlorophyll-ly carrots, blunted basil, sparse parsley, puny peppers and the cilantro that went to coriander by the middle of July.

But wait! There’s more! We have also been afflicted with a number of blights to such a degree I have powdered the produce, an ECrew no-no! We stayed organic through the early blight but all the rain killed us with septoria, nearly wiping out the oregano and tomatoes and even hitting the basil and parsley. Once the tomato plants had been reduced to a few precious leaves perched on long stems I was desperate for anything to salvage the fair flora. It is an ongoing battle.

Despite this all, the tomato plants were producing quite well (who knew leaves were merely an accessory?) and we were finally (finally!) seeing a few fruit ripen. I plucked the first semi-septoria-lly stained orb this weekend and about two dozen were nearing the same.

Aren’t they pretty?

But that is, also, not all. We also have bunnies and so we have no beans. Or peas. Or begonia flowers... Bunnies like bean sprouts almost as much as dogs like tomatoes.

Tomatoes?

Until the dog ate them.
At least half.
Of all the tomatoes.
He picked one bush in the picture completely clean.

And then he threw up behind the garage.

I haven’t decided how, but I’m gonna’ get that dog…