Garden Fail # 11

The Kids Kept Eating and the Rain Came Down

One balmy spring eve, down on the farm
Dad looked around the table, and said with alarm,
“These kids, they are eating and growing so fast,
Each week we buy more, to make the food last.”
“Yes, it’s true,” Mum said with a sigh. 
“Eating is their hobby, that’s a big reason why.”
Dad thought for a while, then suddenly said,
“I know what we’ll do. We’ll plant a garden to get ahead.”
His eyes were bright as he thought of the feast,
Cucumbers and onions, and tomatoes, at least. 

The next day he came home and said with a grin,
“Listen up, family, I’ve had a great win. 
Sawdust and horse poo, mixed up with wee,
A lovely big pile has been given to me.”
Dad set to work to clear the yard
He cut down weeds and worked so hard.
Then he got out his shovel and his hoe
And dug in the compost; the going was slow.
But at last it was done and the fun could begin,
Planting the seeds, and putting veggies in. 

The garden looked great and all were so proud,
They watered the lettuce and praised the tomatoes out loud.
But one fine day, disaster struck;
Flea beetles arrived and it was such bad luck. 
They ate all the eggplants until nothing was left. 
“Oh, well,” said Dad, “we’re still not bereft.”
The following week, it started to rain,
The weeds took off and became a great pain.
In the morning they were little and by the evening they had seeds,
Dad shook his head and muttered, “What’s up with the weeds?”

Then all the lettuce got eaten by grubs
Despite Mum’s best efforts with netting for bugs.
The capsicums were next; they got eaten by rats
In sheer desperation, Dad sent in the cats. 
The rain came along and so did the fungus
It rained for days, and the weeds grew humungous.
Dad’s tomatoes went yellow from being too wet
And the birds knocked off the fruit that had set. 
The rain came down more and the garden was mud
Dad started to feel that his garden was a dud.

One day, Mum managed to have a small win
She held up her prize, and her face wore a grin
“I beat the rats!” she said, feeling silly
But the capsicum she picked turned out to be a chilli. 
No one could eat it and it went in the bin
Mum’s face fell and she lost her grin. 
“This is crazy,” Dad said with a sigh. 
“This garden isn’t fun and I’m telling no lie.”
And the kids kept eating everything in sight
As Mum and Dad stopped to consider their plight.

“Mr Stacky has the answer,” Mum said at last. 
“We can keep out the rats, and things will grow fast
The plants will get big and the tomatoes will set
And it won’t matter if it gets too wet.”
“All right,” said Dad. “Let’s give it a go.”
But the following week came a tale of woe.
The car broke down and needed repair
And Mum shook her head and said in despair,
“Mr Stacky must wait till we pay this bill.”
But the sad truth is, he is waiting still!