Sunday, March 06, 2011

EMO

No, my dear readers, I am not coming out as someone who wears a lot of black, has a fringe that covers half of my face, and a penchant for writing depressive poems about how much I hate the world and the world hates me. I do not like My Chemical Romance.

No, far worse than that. I suffer from Early March Optimism. It strikes, as the name suggests, at the start of Spring. It takes hold of me at the allotment. I survey the ravages of winter ( a few dead kale plants, some happy sprouts, some stunted leeks, and the mothers of all parsnips), and I think “Well, not bad – won’t take long to clear up”. This bit is generally true.

But then I make my mistake, and EMO rears its head. I say to SomeBeans “It really looks like we’ve got on top of the weeds this year – there’s only a few ephemerals about”. Ha.

Whilst some weeds, like hairy bittercress, will carry on growing and seeding through the year whenever it’s warm enough, I always forget that it’s only from mid to late March that the real thugs get going. Hence my EMO moments. I cannot yet see the horsetail, ground elder, couch grass and bind weed thrusting their way to the surface. Ignorance is bliss, at least for another week or two. So allow me my moment of EMO.

13 comments:

BernieH said...

Ha, love it! I think I have the southern hemisphere version of EMO ... our Autumn has just begun and so has the best time of our gardening year, but after a long 'wet' season there are weeds everywhere and they will persist for ages through the 'dry'. Enjoy every moment of your EMO!

Karen - An Artist's Garden said...

Oh my, I think I may be suffering from that too. I looked around the garden to-day and actually said to Shedman, "it is looking quite good - we are ahead of the game this year!"

Please dont mention hairy bittercress -
K

(Wish you hadn't said that about the thugs dont start making their appearance until mid March, I was so happy :( )

Arabella Sock said...

I'm an EMO sufferer too! One sunny day with a bit of extra warmth, a few bits of colour in the garden and I'm convinced all will be well with it. That was until I found a load of blackfly in the greenhouse....

Liz said...

Hi,

Couch grass isn't peeping through?!!! How lucky! I seem to haveaquired a few new patches that definitely weren't there in autumn.

Willowherbs and Dandelions are popping up too and I really need to get rid of them but don't have time at the moment until Uni work is done - next week I will get onto them.

Anonymous said...

I have to agree with Liz above - I've weeded my garden today and couch grass has been the number one villan for me. Dandelions are also knocking about - one or two even had the beginnings of flower heads!

HappyMouffetard said...

So I should count myself lucky that the couch grass hasn't started gowing yet? Very optimistic thought - perhaps the sever winter has killed it all off! (some chance...)

Esther Montgomery said...

I'm feeling EMDepressed. I keep thinking there shouldn't be so many slugs just yet. And there shouldn't have been any greenfly in February.

Esther

Nutty Gnome said...

I too have EMO - except that I'm just off out to dig up my blackcurrant bushes because they've all got Big Bud Mite :(
No weeds yet though!

Mal's Allotment said...

You're onto something!

Mind you, by that reckoning I'm bipolar. EMO half the time - MTB (Missed The Boat)the rest. I've spent too long bricklaying when I should have been digging - not to mention the fencing...

HappyMouffetard said...

Esther - no sign of slugs or aphids here *yet*; perhaps one positive from the harsh winter.

NG - big bud mite - oh dear, that's not good at all. Commiserations.

Mal - ah yes, I too am an eternal sufferer of MTB!

Janet/Plantaliscious said...

Enjoy the EMO while you can! Every time I thrust a fork into the apparently weed-free beds we took so long to dig over I find signs of couch grass and dandelions poised, ready to punish us for being less than perfect in our digging. Every tiny piece of broken off root is just sitting there, waiting to pounce. And its still too cold to sow anything. Though I do have some broad beans hardening off...

themanicgardener said...

Round here (south-west Montana) we too suffer from EMO, but we get it a little later than you do. In our case it stands for Early May Madness.
--Kate

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