May 26, 2022 at 11:09 a.m.
Fish Like a GIRL
The trials and tribulations of container gardening
Fish Like a GIRL
But it is my own fault for buying all of my plants so early, so I deal with it.
And then there is hail. One night, I did not realize it was supposed to even rain, let alone storm. Then my Apple Watch lit up with a message from Channel 9 telling me there was a severe thunderstorm warning for my area. Before I could even comprehend that it was going to rain, the hail started. It came down hard and fast for what seemed like a long time, but it was probably less than five minutes.
In my mind's eye, I could see all of my container plants being ripped to shreds by that hail. What's more, I created a small, raised-bed garden for my downstairs neighbor so he could have some pretty flowers to look out at all summer. What was happening with those? I would not get to survey that damage until morning.
In the end, it was not as bad as I originally thought, but my little garden was not without damage. In the light of day, when I opened the sliding glass door to take a look, the first thing that hit me was the balcony littered with leaves and flower petals. From the amount of debris on the decking, one would think nothing had survived. Of course, some of the leaves were from a nearby tree in the yard, but I knew the flower petals were all mine.
My lettuce and spinach were hit the hardest. They were in the top tier of a four-tier planter. Being directly under the roof line, I am sure, did not help (Yes, I moved the planter a bit after I realized the error in my ways), but I think they would have been damaged either way. My cucumber plant was ripped to shreds, but the zucchini right next to it fared a bit better.
One thing that was interesting was how the hail ripped right through some of the leaves without taking them off the plant, but fully crushed and defoliated another plant just inches away. Luck of the draw, I suppose. I do not remember a time when I did not get my container plants back inside in time and they went through a hail event, but looking back on it, it is somewhat interesting. I suppose if one looked at it on a larger scale, weather is weather and it this small event caused damage much like a tornado would on a larger scale - one house may be completely ripped down to its foundation while the house next door gets by without a scratch.
In the big scheme of things, the damage was not all that bad. When I went down to look at the neighbor's garden, his damage seemed even a bit less than mine. Of course, petals had been stripped from the flowers and were scattered around, but I am sure all of those flowers will make it to bloom another day. One banana pepper plant I had in that garden may not make it. That remains to be seen.
The plants that seemed to fair the best were the Brussels sprouts. They have thick, heavy leaves, which seemed to provide good protection from the wind and the hail. If anything, they seemed to have thrived in the face of the storm. I would swear they grew twice their size overnight during that storm. But, I suppose, we all thrive in different conditions.
The next thing to worry about will be frost. I have fashioned a cover for my neighbor's raised garden that should work well to keep the frost off his flowers. As for mine, I may try a tarp over the balcony railing to cover some of the heartier plants. But there are some I will still bring in. I did learn to keep a better eye on the weather, to be sure. At some point, when the plants are better established and can take more adverse conditions, I will not worry as much about bringing them in. Usually, by mid-summer, I only bring them in if there are super high winds forecast or something like a tornado warning. Then they come inside. But at this time of year, maybe I am more attached to them? I am not sure.
After spending all of that time picking out not only the types of flowers, vegetables and herbs I wanted to grow, but also picking out the specific plant of each type, it seems like they almost have a personality of their own. I know they are only plants. And I can buy more plants or even plant seeds if they do get destroyed, but that is not something about which any gardener wants to think - especially in the early spring when we have waited all through the long, cold winter to see flowers blooming and smell the herbs in the garden. It is a labor of love, I suppose. Planting and tending to a container garden has special challenges, but I imagine I will always have some containers around the property, even after we buy another house and have a yard in which to plant.
Here comes the thunder again. Time to tend to my plant-friends.
Beckie Gaskill may be reached at [email protected] or [email protected].
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