A Good Year for Plants Indeed

I was speaking on the phone recently with Eli’s Mom. She casually remarked that it is a good year for plants. I would agree. Here is why in a very roundabout story.
Last year, bizarrely, after getting engaged, I decided to try my hand at a garden. (For those of you that have not been engaged, this was bizarre, because being engaged is both time consuming and stressful). In any event, it turned out well, as evidenced by the pictures of my tomato crop.
However, you may not have known the full extent of the gardening experience. (Sorry I don’t have photographic documentation)
Here’s what happened:
1. I planted a few herbs, they did really well and we ate yummy food as a result through November.
2. I planted a blueberry bush with high hopes, however the birds ate the berries and the bush got a fungus.
3. I planted the SUPER tomato plants that gave me oodles and oodles of tomatoes.

But this is the surprise; all my efforts last year have made for a banner SECOND year crop! That’s right, with no effort! Here’s what I found this spring:
1. The herbs, for the most part, came back.

The mint came back like a weed, I have a TON and it is only June.
Luckily Eli has learned how to make lemon-mint ices!

We are using the GARDEN FRESH DILL (that I didn’t plant this year, or even really do anything to encourage its growth) in chicken soup.

We are not sure what to do with the Oregano.

2. The Blueberry bush is resurrected from its near death fungal experience!!!! Not only is the fungus gone but for some reason the birds are not eating the berries this year, and it looks like we are going to have a bumper crop! (Bli Ayin Hara!)

3. And this was the big shocker. I thought the mutant bumper crop of tomatoes died in November. While this was sort of true, it was not entirely true. There were so many tomatoes, we could not possibly harvest all of them, and some animals must have gotten to them, scattering them all over the side of the house, and this year we have (so far) FORTY,(yes, you read correctly, FORTY) little baby tomato plants. Wow, was that six bucks well spent last year.

4. And because I am getting a little cocky with plant related success this year I put in some red peppers.

A good year for plants indeed.