The Miniature Garden


Admittedly, Marathon Girl and I arenâ€™t the best gardeners. This, however, doesnâ€™t stop us from plating a small garden every year in the hopes of having some fresh vegetables to eat during the summer.

The last two years our garden has done quite well. Weâ€™ve had an abundance of tomatoes, squash, and corn despite adverse growing conditions and a lack of any natural gardening talent on our part.

This year something went horribly awry. Despite the fact that we fertilized the soil, weeded the garden, and did everything else just like the past two years, many of our plants have stubbornly refused to grow.

Oh, theyâ€™ve flowered and produced fruit. Itâ€™s just that the plants themselves and what theyâ€™ve produced have been very small.

For example, our squash plant has only spread out about eight inches from where it started. And though itâ€™s produced a lot of squash, they all very in size from three to five inches. (See photo above.)Â The tomato plants are small and producing fruit about the size of cherry tomatoes. (No, we didnâ€™t plan cherry tomatoes.) Our onions stand about three inches tall and have bulbs about the size of Mollyâ€™s fingernails.

We have no clue what has caused this. Our neighborsâ€™ gardens on the other hand are growing normally and producing normal sized fruit. Some have suggestedÂ we didn't put enough nutrients in theÂ soil. Others have said we didnâ€™t give them enough water.Â  Most have just smiled when they've seen our Munchkin-sized garden. Whatever the problem is, the garden is beyond saving.

Itâ€™s too bad we didnâ€™t plant corn. At least thereâ€™s actually a use for small ears of corn.