The Growing Challenge

If you are unfamiliar with the "Green" blogs you may not have noticed that there are constant challenges; Give up TP; Go shampoo-free; Switch the baby to cloth diapers, and such.

Okay, we've given up the TP; my hair is an environmentally friendly 1/2 inch long, and I use organic lavender body wash to clean all of me, hair included; and I am so old that when my children were babies all diapers were cloth and had to be pinned on.

The first disposable diaper was being trialed in Chicago when our eldest (now 42) was a baby. Frankly I wasn't too impressed. In those days they were much like today's mattress protectors, except just not so absorbent. A thin, flat rectangle you had to pin. It tore, it leaked, it fell off. I bought one box and never bought another.

Anyway, as you may have noted, when you are older to tend to wander aimlessly over any conversational ground you stumble over, and writing is no different. In higher forms of literature it's called "stream of consciousness". It usually leads me to saying, "Now where was I?"

We were talking about challenges. Melinda over at One Green Generation has a "Growing Challenge" going. The basic rules are:

1) Grow one (or more) type of fruit or vegetable than you did last year, from seed. The goal is to push ourselves to grow a little more food than we have before.
2) Post about gardening once each week. Oh boy! A reason to post about gardening! I can't resist!
3) Keep up with the others who have taken the challenge by checking in weekly at One Green Generation.

I am taking the challenge and will attempt to grow, from seed, three things I have never grown before. Kale, okra and watermelons. I love kale, but Tony is less convinced. One reason is that the kale in the store has been left to get too mature. It's tough and strong-tasting. Let's see what he thinks of it sweet and small.

Okra? Well, certainly it wouldn't grow in Calgary, and even here it will have to go into my sunniest hottest spot. And watermelon? Bowling ball sized ones. Melons grow well here, but Canadians apparently think watermelon is supposed to taste like cucumber. They pull the melons before they are ripe. Ugh. $7.00 for a bowling ball sized cucumber. I will leave mine on the vine until they slip easily. I have high hopes.

I am rising to the challenge!