Why will I (he) never learn?

I have no decent answer to the question in the headline — except to say I am so sorry, dear, for wiping out our entire arugula crop with one swipe of the stirrup hoe this morning.

I should know better. But it’s become a rite of spring for one half of this gardening pair to undo what the other half  has done, and almost always early in the year when the plants are small.

That  guilty party is always me, the guy who does 99 percent of the weeding., and usually on first or second visit to the garden armed with a hoe and good intentions.

This can occur in two ways. One, I stomp on some tender plant with my big, clumsy feet because I didn’t notice the bright, highway orange stakes right next to it.

Or two, I rip through a row of tiny seedlings that, on second look, were clearly standing bravely in more or less a straight line between two really-they’re-so-bright-you-can’t-miss-them orange stakes.

Carrot plants, for instance, are common victims. Early on, carrot plants are no bigger than eyelashes. Basil also is in danger when I’ve got a hoe in my grip.

Or beets, whose tiny red stalks and stems resemble many common weeds.

But this time it was the arugula that bought in on my first attempt at garden improvement this year.

So rule No. 1 for veteran and novice gardeners alike: know what’s planted where.

This involves the skill of  remembering, if the garden is your sole responsibility.

Or if you’re like us and divide the chores (she plants, harvests and cultivates, while I plow, cultivate, water and battle the varmints) sometimes it pays to ask questions.

Yes, I know, this is difficult for some of us. We don’t think we need to ask no stinking questions. We’re not stupid, you know.

But it’s really not all that hard to tap someone on the shoulder and ask “what the heck is that?” and “what might I kill, if I’m not careful.”

Happy ending, though. Roxie still had some more arugula seeds in her seed notebook. And as this spring hasn’t heated up yet, we might have some arugula for dinner one of these days.

Posted by: Mike

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