Nose for News, By Sarah Stultz

I’m beginning to think my backyard isn’t going to be a good spot for a garden. The thought had crossed my mind already this season a couple times and did so again on Saturday as I attempted to pull weeds from it — or at least from the outer perimeter because the dirt was still muddy from the last major rainstorm we had last week.

It has been about a month or so since I planted my seeds and plants, and while things are growing, it seems like they’re growing at a snail’s pace — at least compared to other gardens I have seen pictures of by people who planted around the same time.

I knew the back third of my backyard was a little bit damper than the rest, but I thought it still might be OK to have the garden there — I just wouldn’t have to water it as much, right?

With all the rain we’ve received in the last month, however, my hopes are diminishing. I have had standing water in it a few places two or three times, and even after waiting through two or three days of sun each time, the ground is still muddy. If we could ease up on the rain it might survive, but otherwise, I’m thinking I might have dug up part of my backyard for nothing.

A chance of precipitation was high for Monday night, and showers were also likely Tuesday.

Luckily, most of the rest of the week looks pretty dry — hopefully allowing time for some of that water to soak into the dirt and for the plants to grow.

We’ll see if things take off then, or if I’ll just have to consider this year a loss. It’s too soon to tell.

I’m curious to see if anyone out there has any advice. Will it be able to make a comeback?

On a separate outdoor-related topic, I’ve almost twisted my ankle a few times on a hole I keep unintentionally finding in the back yard. The hole is maybe about four inches in diameter.

What could that likely be from?

I’m afraid to do any investigating out of fear that I may get an unexpected close encounter with a creature I’m not prepared to see.

Any suggestions on how to take care of that, or should I just leave it be? If it’s an animal that only comes out at night, I might be OK with just letting it be.

Oh, the joys of home ownership.

Until next time, let’s take advantage of the sunny weather later this week.

Sarah Stultz is the managing editor of the Tribune. Her column appears every Tuesday.