Actually, I prefer the word to call it startling, or surprising. I mean, I am a novice gardener, not some master expert. I do have other obligations on my daily plate of duties. It was easy to miss.
Miss what, you wonder? Give me a minute. That actually is a knot of embarrassment lodged firmly in my throat. Okay. I’m good. My pole beans. My beautiful, wonderfully healthy pole beans… Well, turns out they’re not pole beans after all. They’re limas. Yep. There I was, admiring my beautifully plump bean plants, nestled snugly together beneath the precisely strung twine, when I noticed the pretty white blossom. My curiosity perked. Pretty white blossom, which looked oh-so-familiar, white blossom?
Upon closer inspection, I spotted the imposters. No wonder there hadn’t been the usual “lace and race” upward…the one I had been waiting for. How did I know I was dealing with an imposter? Warmed at the thought, my heart swells with pride. Because I’m an avid gardener. I know what pole beans look like and they’re not flat, wide pods. No, ma’am. Those are limas. So what are they doing beneath my pole strings?
Good question. I could claim distraction. Anyone who knows me would buy it in a second. A die hard multi-tasker mother of two, master of none — I’m a shoo in for the distraction defense. But that would be too easy. Third party interference? Not likely. The kids enjoy planting, but they do so only under the strictest of supervision. Okay, that’s not exactly true, either, but in my defense, the two beans in question do look a lot alike. They’re both white, roughly oval shaped. The non-descript packages doled out by my local seed store are near identical. It is unseasonably warm right now, which tends to encourage swift and efficient action in the garden. It could happen to anyone.
Fine. Maybe not anyone, but it could happen. Eh-hem. Did happen. But stranger things have happened!
“Confused?” she asks, savoring a private smile.
Told you I was good at distraction. I’m also good at looking on the bright side. So I have more lima beans. Wonderful. I love lima beans! And do you know how many plants it takes to produce enough servings for a family of four for one dinner? A lot more than I imagined. So the truth is, this mistake – I mean, misplacement – is a blessing in disguise. Really. And anyway, those old vines withering on the string from my spring crop…they still have a bit of “bio-degrading” left to go, before fresh new vines can shoot up with the unencumbered freedom they deserve. Besides, I’ve staggered my plantings so the sprouts behind them, well, I’m sure those are pole beans, though it’s kinda hard to tell at this stage. And if not, I have stakes — and lots of them. I’ll simply take my pole beans elsewhere. Where they’re welcome.
And where I can remember where the heck I planted them!
Awesome blog!
I thought about starting my own blog too but I’m just too lazy so, I guess I‘ll just have to keep checking yours out.
LOL,