Rage, Rage

Like the poem by Dylan Thomas, Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night, I want my plants to continue to fight against the coming of the cold weather and the end of most of my garden. I want the plants to "rage against the dying of the light" and live longer, but in my heart I know this will not happen.

My husband and I have tended the garden so carefully this year, but we can do better. We planted Brussel Sprouts today to keep some of the buckets with cole crops in them, and still have head cabbage, more broccoli, more lettuce, and oregano to plant.

We have now reached 280 pounds, 4 ounces and that is a lot for a small backyard garden. It is .45 of a pound per square foot of gardening. If we reach 315 pounds, we will have produced a half of a pound per square foot and that is since late April.

The record keeping was part of the experiment that we conducted this summer to see what kind of production can come out of a small backyard garden. It was not a real experiment because there was no control group for comparison. It was a half baked experiment with spectacular results.

This garden showed me that I can continue to garden in a less physical manner and still provide my family with great food. Food that has not been manipulated with toxic fertilizers and toxic bug sprays.

And yet, I too will rage, rage against the dying of the light.