Computer, Garden. Computer, Garden.

I found it nearly impossible to stay inside around the desk today. In fact, once I had my first cup of coffee, I was in the garden.

I went to bed last night troubled by the bare spots in each row where the seed or start basically rotted in the ground after last week’s rain. First thing this morning, I filled all the bare spots with replacement seed. Then I hoed out what I thought would be the three final rows and planted them, blue lake beans and candy corn.

But then Frank began removing half of the fence. He had mentioned expanding the garden, but I didn’t think much about it. We’d already doubled the size of last year’s garden, and by the time Frank finished today, it’s now triple last year’s size.

As I planted rows of half runners and sundowner corn, Frank went to the store for milk and bread — and came home with a dozen sweet pepper plants and half a dozen cabbage starts. We got the peppers in, and the expanded fence replaced around the garden before dark.

We’ve already begun collecting and purchasing canning jars and lids, knowing, come harvest time, they’ll be at least 25% higher in price. Of course, I have most of last year’s jars, but with the garden 2/3rds larger, I suppose I’ll need more jars.

Likely, most of the corn and the beans we will sell the surplus at the farmer’s market this fall. Imagine, fresh half runners, blue lake and tenderette beans. Right now though, I feel I could eat all that corn myself. I can’t WAIT to get a taste of garden fresh corn — or a bite of the garden’s first ripe tomato.

Still we have planted no melons, cukes, or squash, and have decided that only an entirely separate garden will do. We must have cucumbers, as I learned to make pickles last year, and just this month, my father-in-law bought me a beautiful huge pickling crock at an antique store. (Yes, I’ll definitely need more jars.)

I hope to freeze most of the corn, although I’m not sure how I’ll run this winter on freezer room. I’m hoping to pack the freezers with deer meat this fall, after learning that many of my stomach issues were caused by commercially processed red meat.

I’ll also have a full refrigerator hopefully, as soon as we get the new laying hens — hopefully to arrive this weekend.

But the chickens — they’re a whole other story.

Which I’ll share with you soon enough.