Diabetes Killed My Plants!

It's been months...  last growing season wasn't blogged my me at all.  I'm afraid I had a rather large issue that overshadowed everything.  I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in early May.

No, not type 2.  Type 1.  (I know at least one of you was like, "She must mean type 2." :p )

Yes, that's the autoimmune variety that used to be called "juvenile diabetes," which is more commonly developed in children, and which requires lifelong insulin therapy.  But at the age of 30, I got it.  I won't go into detail about that here, but you can check out the blog I've been keeping about it, Type 1 at 30, if you're curious.  The earliest post gives the story of my diagnosis.

I suppose the one other thing I'll say about that for now, because it's actually gardening related:

Diabetes killed my plants!!!

OK, really, it made me so preoccupied and focused that every last seedling I'd started died from neglect.  I had no garden, no potted plants, nothing.  Sometimes, your energy just has to be focused on other things... like learning how to survive without a properly functioning pancreas.

Oh, priorities!

But this year, I'm starting again... on a small scale because, again, I have something else demanding my energy: a baby due in August!

Oh, and we also moved to a new home, and I got a new job.  Can we possibly pack any more life changing events into these two years?

There's no way I'm going to be bending over to pull weeds as a great big pregnant lady, so I'm keeping it simple with potted plants and early-fruiting varieties.  Honestly, this is back to my favorite kind of gardening: small scale, simple, creative, container gardening.  *love*

Year-old Onions

So I had some green onions that I never used last year, and I just left them in the garden to do their thing. They came back after winter, but I was too skeptical to try eating them... But scapes are another story!

A scape is what happens when an onion (or garlic!) "goes to seed." These huge ones you see in these photos probably aren't tender enough to eat, so I'll leave them and experiment with collecting their seeds.


There were several smaller scapes that seemed nice and tender, and a few more that should be perfect in a couple days.


You could cut them up for a stir-fry. I'll probably cut them into very small pieces and saute them to add to a rice dish.

It just goes to show that, in the right climate, nature keeps doing her thing. Volunteer tomatoes appear, plants survive harsh conditions, and a neglected onion offers forth new bounty past its prime.

Depression Affects Plants Too!

You know that silly commercial about depression? "Where does depression hurt? Everywhere. Who does depression hurt? Everyone." Yeah, well, the latter includes plants, too.

I know things are weighing on me when the garden starts to look a bit droopy.... I even lost a wee baby cucumber to the great I-don't-wanna-have-to-do-anything-when-I-get-home-from-work drought of 2007.

Seeing my friend's mint plant looking sadder than a weeping willow, however, got me off the couch. I might be a bum at home after working extended hours, but I am not a bad plantsitter, damn it!