The Little Red Hen Garden

 

     
The Little Red Hen Garden

 

      If you have been following my blog, you know that I spend a great deal of time at my ancestral home in Long Reach.  That is where you find my rhubarb patch, my cottage, my garden and the bulk of my extended family.  I mean OUR rhubarb patch, OUR cottage, OUR garden and the bulk of MY extended family. 

 

Long Reach on the N.B. Map (Blue Dot)

 

 

Ancestral Home Complete with Ancestors circa 1920

 

 

     My sister Kathy lives in the family homestead and our cottage is over the hill, on the shore of the St. John River. 

Family Homestead (present day)

 

Cottage on the St. John River

Between the homestead and the cottage is the garden.  DMZ. 

 

 Garden in Early Spring

 

 

      Last year Kathy asked if she could share my garden as her plot was temporarily disrupted by a construction zone.  She Face-Booked me her request and assured me that it would NOT be a "Little Red Hen" garden.  You know the story of the Little Red Hen? 

      The Little Red Hen found a few grains of wheat and decided to plant them in her garden. 

       "Who will help me plant the wheat?" asked the Little Red Hen.
       "Not I," said the pig. 
       "Not I," said the cow. 
       "Not I," said the sheep. 
       "Then I will do it myself," said the Little Red Hen.

 

 A few weeks later....
       "Who will help me weed the garden?" asked the Little Red Hen. 
       "Not I," said the pig. 
       "Not I," said the cow. 
       "Not I," said the sheep. 
       "Then I will do it myself," said the Little Red Hen.

 And, several weeks later....

       "Who will help me harvest the wheat?" asked the Little Red Hen. 
       "Not I," said the pig. 
       "Not I," said the cow. 
       "Not I," said the sheep. 
       "Then I will do it myself," said the Little Red Hen.

 

And a few days later.....
       "Who will help me bake the bread?" asked the Little Red Hen. 
       "Not I," said the pig. 
       "Not I," said the cow. 
       "Not I," said the sheep. 
       "Then I will do it myself," said the Little Red Hen.

 

 

And a few hours later....
        "Who will help me eat the bread?" asked the Little Red Hen. 
       "I will!" said the pig. 
       "I will!" said the cow. 
       "I will!" said the sheep. 
       "No, I will eat it myself!"  said the Little Red Hen.  And she did. 

The Little Red Hen Phenomenon

      I have experienced the Little Red Hen phenomenon a few times in my life so Kathy's promise that this would not happen with the garden was somewhat re-assuring.   I cautiously agreed to share my garden plot with her. 

     Our first fight was over the cardboard.  I had read that using cardboard as mulch between the rows would cut down on weeds.  Kathy, no shrinking violet, disagreed and put up a fight.  She holds an undergraduate degree in Green Thumb and an MBA in Bossing.  I held my ground, however, and the cardboard was laid.  Neither one of the Little Red Hen Sisters is talented in bending over so anything that might reduce weeds was worth a try.  The cardboard experiment turned out to be a success.  

      We got through the garden season with minimal disagreements.  The crop was mediocre.  We harvested in October, counting every single carrot and beet and dividing them exactly evenly.  (37.5 carrots each; 28 beets each)  She did not fight me for the kale. 

 

 

 

 The Future of the Little Red Hen Garden
     In early May of this year I got a phone call from my sister Gail who wanted to get in on the Little Red Hen Garden.  Her soil was not up to par and the black flies and mosquitos had threatened to carry her away last year.  Well, what could I say?  Her thumb really is green and she can still bend over.  I saw an opportunity before me so I admitted her to the field-fold.  Now we are looking for a new name to reflect the new configuration. 

The Three Bears' Garden?

The Three Little Pigs' Garden?

 

 

Three Blind Mice 's Garden?

 The Three Hags' Garden? 

The Three Sirens' Garden?

Charlie's Angels' Garden?

 The Three Stooges' Garden?

The Three Wise Men's Garden?

      What do you think?  I know there are gender issues with some of these trios but we are open-minded.  Clearly, we most closely resemble Charlie's Angels as is evident in the action shot below.   

  

Little Red Hen as Mentor 

      I have grown to love the Little Red Hen and all she stands for.  You can see that the Little Red Hen and I have a lot in common.  We are both wheelbarrow-operators and we both wear stylish bonnets with flair.  Both smiling....
 

We are both avid knitters.

 

 

We both love bib aprons. 

And we both like to bake for our young'uns.

Until Next Time....