Primal Struggle

Devastating hail and rain flooded a popular hiking and biking trail near Garden of the Gods.

I have declared war against the elements. Futile, you may say. Humankind never wins the battle with nature. I am giving it my best shot.

Along with the life-giving rain for which we Coloradans are grateful has come a ration of hail. The Big One hit before I planted my garden. Part of Colorado Springs shut down as hail slammed earth, damaging roofs and cars, tearing budding leaves off tender spring trees, and snarling traffic on flooding streets over a foot deep in frozen white pellets.

I am determined to grow a bumper crop of basil this summer. My extended family has developed a taste for basil pesto, and can go through a quart during a single picnic. My daughter, also a gardener, is spending most of her summer camping. So it may be up to me to provide the bushel basket of basil we need. Basil is particularly delicate. Hail can destroy a basil plant in seconds. 

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Herbs, peppers, tomatoes and squash can now live in peace under my Iron Dome of hail cloth.

Every time it rains at my house, we get a dose of hail in the bargain. More than once, I have run outside to throw coverings over the peppers and squash. I held an umbrella over the basil Sunday until I could arrange the hail cloth over the tiny plants without crushing them in the process. This semi-permanent cover is a huge improvement.

My husband is an engineer. He devised a way to save my garden. You can compare and contrast our methods. His, methodical and precise. Mine, more an act of desperation. 

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A strawberry house versus a hail cloth veil.

My husband told me that according to Murphy's Law, we have ensured that no more hail will fall this season. I remember last year, when hail wiped out my garden at its peak, in mid-July. It never did recover. Whether it hails or not, I can relax and enjoy gardening again. 


(Hail cloth is available at Phelan Gardens - http://www.phelangardens.com/ )

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