Farmer Bill: Opening remarks

I remembered my jaw dropping after the nice neighbor lady next door explained to me --gently -- the length and breadth of my domain. It came many weeks after I'd moved in. The backyard was twice the size I thought it was and suddenly the thought of having to mow all of that grass seemed terrifying.

It was a serious commitment with a push mower, which is what I had at my disposal: a second-hand refurbished mower that looks like something Mel Gibson might have used in a Mad Max movie.

I made plans to start a garden almost immediately. Of course, I recognized I started with some handicaps: a lack of actual, working knowledge, no tools to speak of and little idea where to start.

All I had was some vague encouragement from the neighbor next door that the previous owners of my home had always maintained a wonderful garden.

So it was at least possible for me to continue that tradition --if not especially likely.

Over the years, I've repeatedly tried my hand at growing small gardens. Mostly, I've grown nothing, not even weeds. A couple of times, I did manage to create small toxic areas that remained bare for years after I quit attempting to cultivate them.

But this year, I'm gardening. I'm gardening, not so much because I want the delight of homegrown tomatoes and peppers. I'm not gardening as competition with my neighbors or to earn some hippie, homeowner cred. No, I'd just like to continue eating in the fashion I've grown accustom to --you know, continue eating actual food.

So... we'll be blogging a bit about the garden, along with the other threads.

Don't expect to learn anything.