Father's Day - I love the idea. I hate the name.

Every year, Father's Day rolls around and provides a day when we think about the men who helped give us life. We thank them. We honor them. We give them a tie or a beer, and some alone time with the TV or a grill.

Until TheKiddo™ arrived, I never thought much about the day beyond a card and a phone call. Now, each year when it returns, I realize how much I loathe the name of it. My loathing is based on the chasm that exists between being a father and being a dad.

Anyone with a pulse and a sperm count can be a father. They don't have to do anything other than provide half of the genetic coding.

You know the guys I mean. They were there for the conception, and mostly absent since. They were off doing their own thing, unconcerned about participating in and celebrating the life they had helped create. Your own father may have been one of them. 

Sure, they helped bring another human onto the planet. They didn't necessarily help make that human a good one, a kind one, a productive one, or someone you want to know. Not all fathers deserve thanks, and honor. Every dad does.

Dads are fully present. They do everything possible to help their kids—and all kids they encounter—be happy, and healthy, and productive.

They coach sports, including the ones they've never played. They chauffeur even if it's to 5 a.m. practices or games. They teach all they can about any possible topic, and learn just as much along the way. They help bandage scrapes and kiss bruises—even when the bruises are to egos. They make Jell-O at midnight for feverish kids with no appetite. They comfort during illness even if it means sleeping on a cot in a hospital room.

Dads watch. Dads guard. Dads protect.

Dads do all that, and expect nothing in return. Dads know full well that when the cameras are on, the kids will say, "Hi mom." It's okay. It's part of the job. There's no complaining. There are no hurt feelings. Dads do whatever it takes to raise happy kids, regardless of the accolades.

Dads are present, because that's what matters. And that's why Father's Day should be Dad's Day.

The act of becoming a father is brief. The art of being a dad takes a lifetime to learn, and it cannot be perfected.

Thank you to all the dads from whom I have learned. And thank you to all the dads from whom I will learn.

Enjoy this day. Tomorrow, it will be all about mom again.

May 18, 2014 - Sweet Potatoes

What began as a science experiment—causing shoots to grow from sweet potatoes suspended in water—has become the most recent addition to the garden.

Have tried several times over the past three years to grow sweet potatoes. Each attempt ended with very few actual tubers. Starting with the shoots cut from the potatoes suspended in water could yield better results. At the very least it won't yield worse ones.

Planted four varieties:

1. Japanese
2. Jubilee
3. Garnet
4. Something picked up at a grocery store—it was the start of the experiment

We'll see what happens.

May 4, 2014 - Tomatoes At 5 Weeks

Despite an early April chill, the tomatoes are starting to show impressive growth. Healthy doses of compost tea on a weekly basis have helped them survive the vagaries of Texas' springtime weather.

I spent part of today training them back into the cages, and it looks like next week will be the right time to pull off the plastic.

May 4, 2014 - Potato Boxes At 10 Weeks

Potatoes continue to grow well. I added more soil — I'm using mostly soil from the garden amended with compost — to the boxes this week, and next week, I'll need to build them higher.

It's possible that I'll add the final two layers of wood to the Purple Viking, and only one more layer to the Purple Fingerling.

April 27, 2014 - Tomatoes At 4 Weeks

Each of the 10 tomato plants is doing well. I think within the next week they'll be strong enough to survive the removal of the plastic. It's likely I'll need to remove it anyway in order to train them properly to remain in the cages as they grow.

April 27, 2014 - Potatoes Are Curious Things

Over the past few weeks I've noticed something about my potatoes. The rate at which they're growing has reversed dramatically. The Purple Viking are now growing much faster than the Purple Fingerling. I'm sure there's a simple, logical explanation for it, and it isn't something that actually concerns me in any way. It's just noteworthy.

In the last week, both have grown enough to require another level of wood on the boxes and additional soil.

As you can see, I'll probably be adding another level of wood and soil to the Purple Vikings next weekend as well.

April 19, 2014 - Garlic and Onions

Have been harvesting some of the green onion and garlic to use in cooking. Some of the onions are bolting, and I don't really mind. I've discovered that the blossoms provide an incredible burst of flavor in salads and cooking.

April 20, 2014 - Potato Boxes at 8 Weeks

Added another level of wood to the boxes.

With the rain we've had, it's likely I'll be able to add another level this coming weekend, as well as some soil and compost mixture.

April 13, 2014 - Potato Boxes at 7 Weeks

Both the Purple Viking and Purple Fingerling are growing very well. Added a lot of soil mixed with some compost to them today. Next weekend, I'll need to build up the boxes. I think I'll add two levels. The growth rate of the plants is much faster than I anticipated.

March 30, 2014 - Planting Tomatoes

So the weather has finally become stable enough for planting tomatoes. These Jprobably could have gone into the ground a week or two ago; however, I preferred avoiding any temperature dips below 40° F. Tomatoes like it warm.

Planted 10 total plants. There are:

• Cherry — Sungold (2) and Sweet Chelsea
• Paste — Amish Paste (2) and Black Plum (2)
• Red slicing — Peron and Box Car Willie 
• Non-red slicing — Manyel (a yellow tomato)

Planting tomatoes begins with preparing your cage. That requires not only the materials for the cage, but also garbage bags.

After you have built your cages and wrapped them, they'll look like miniature greenhouses, which is exactly what they'll be. The plastic will help contain heat, and block wind damage to your precious plants.

Planting tomatoes in groups of four is a good idea. It allows the cages to support one another, and still provides plenty of space for you to move around them to prune, train the vines to grow inside the cage, and harvest when the time comes.

Obviously, the plants are looking tall and healthy after growing in the greenhouse. That's going to provide a lot of root structure. You'll want to plant them lying down, so only a few inches remains out of the ground.

Wrapping aluminum foil, or a bit of newspaper loosely around the stalk so that it's approximately one inch below and one inch above the surface will help deter cutworms. They basically wrap themselves around the stalk and pinch it off.

Once the tomatoes are in the ground, lay down newspaper and mulch heavily. I prefer using straw.

Then stack four, gallon jugs of water around each of the plants. This helps regulate the ground temperature so the roots are well protected from any unexpected dips in the temperature.

Then just slide the cages over the jugs, and stake them into place.

Two sets of four cages take up a bit of space in a garden. It will, however, be well worth it. The double cages at the rear of this shot are for the Sungold. They will grow up and over those cages, even with regular training, and could reach the ground again — about 16 feet total.

For the past couple of years the Sungold have produced abundantly, and done so well into the fall. I've probably given away well over a hundred pounds of tomatoes over that time. During the high heat of a late Texas summer they slow down production. Will definitely weigh the yields this year, and see if my estimates are right.

For now, they're in the ground and protected. Next step is to baby them with plenty of compost tea, and help them grow. 

March 30, 2014 - Potato Boxes At 5 Weeks

Lots of good growth in the potato boxes. The Purple Fingerling (bottom photo) are definitely growing faster than the Purple Viking. Should be adding additional soil/compost to at least the fingerlings next week.