Farming The Wasteland

Day 307: Some of you are undoubtedly thinking, "Oh, boy...you're going to regret that!" and you may well be right, but I like mint jelly on sourdough toast. I'm talking about real mint jelly, not the mint-flavoured apple jelly available commercially. After paying extortionate prices for two measly four-ounce containers of fresh mint last year, I decided to grow my own. The stuff is a weed; there's no call for it to cost almost $8 per half-cup! In the Barren Wasteland, there are two concrete pads. One covers the pit where my water supply's captive-air tank lives and measures about four feet on a side, but the other one (roughly 3' x 4') remains a mystery even after thirty years. Between them is a foot-wide patch of poor soil, a strip which seemed perfect for a mint patch since the concrete bounds it on the two long sides and theoretically, should prevent the roots from infiltrating the rest of the area. If I am diligent about cutting it before it goes to seed, I should be able to keep it domesticated and producing plenty of leaves for delicious mint jelly and tea.