…and not a seed planted yet. Lately that song I learned in first grade has been stuck in my head. The one with the refrain: “mud, mud, I love mud. I’m absolutelypositivelywild about mud. I can’t go around it I gotta go through it, beautiful fabulous ickystickymud!”

But its Easter Sunday I should have at least planted peas and lettuce by now, so I am not absolutelypositivelywild about mud.

The fact is we’ve had lots of rain, very little sun, and only a few days above 60 degrees all month. Seeds planted in the garden in these conditions tend to rot in the soil, which = waste of time and seeds. So I have to wait…

I’ve got my fingers crossed for an extended summer, hoping this late start to spring means the whole growing season has shifted back. Should I be putting black cloth on all the beds to warm the soil so I can plant? Should I just plant and put hoops and row cover over everything? I have to plant something! Another weird occurence that I attribute to the cold rainy weather is that the deer  are eating a lot of things I thought they weren’t supposed to. Are they not finding their usual food sources right now? This pic proves they eat rhubarb, leaves and all, which are said to be toxic.

They’ve also uprooted my foxglove and munched that too, despite it also being toxic and it growing right next to the driveway! From now on, when someone asks: “do the deer eat…?” I must say yes in all cases. They’ll eat anything if hungry enough. I’ve spotted the culprits too, 3 of them, lazily strolling off the highway and into our yard at dusk, browsing whatever they feel like. At this rate they’ll be nice and fat by fall, and would make tasty venison steaks… But I’ve never shot anything and will probably just watch them continue to stroll through. We can’t control nature and all its quirks, so we gardeners just have to roll with it and do what we can. Still, help me pray for sun and warm temps!