Farmer Al

Spring fever has hit. In preparation for the season, I built window flower boxes downstairs in the basement. To my surprise, they turned out pretty good. After all, I am not a very handy, handyman nor a good carpenter. Yet there they are, all ready to be put out under the front windows and planted with lovely flowers. And that's another thing, the flowers. Mark and I went up to the Home Depot and loaded up with all kinds of flower seeds. I figured that I could start them downstairs, next to the window. Plenty of sun there, and it isn't too hot or too cold. Just right for the little seedlings to spring forth. The problem is, I don't know anything about gardening. Yes, I lived on a farm for a year, but that was a hippie farm. We were good at growing certain herbs, but mostly we just hung around and smoked them. So anyway, I set up my little flower factory downstairs. I loaded the planters with soil, getting plenty of dirt under my fingernails. Then I took each colorful packet of flower seeds, opened them up, and poked the seeds into the dirt. When I was all done I decided that maybe I should read the instructions. From what I could see I had done it all correctly, but then I read how long it takes for the seeds to germinate and grow big enough to flower. Fifteen to twenty days before I see a little green sprout, then forty five to sixty days before I have a flowering plant. Hmmmm... in only two or three weeks I'll be able to buy fully flowering plants at the Home Depot, ready to stick in the garden. Meanwhile my little babies will still be struggling to reach puberty. Next year I should start earlier.