What I've Learned From My Garden Part I
Friday, August 29, 2008 Posted In garden Edit This 1 Comment »
@->--Having a garden makes me feel like a hippy. I'm raising my own food (well...sort of...), using grass clippings as mulch, fallen branches as stakes for tomatoes, trying to be all organic, and taking kitchen scraps to the compost bin - and I'm doing all this fabulous gardening in my bare feet (don't look, Mom!) while enjoying the sun on my face, the breeze in my hair, and the sounds of the little critters in the woods.
@->--Patience is a virtue. Allthough I consider myself to be virtuous, I lack this one.
@->--One should not make more work than necissary by watering daily, or one not only will realize the importance of an outdoor water spicket, but also will wear a path in the grass between the house and the garden.
@->--Morning Glories grow like weeds. And if you have some friendly new neighbors who offer to mow your lawn for you (thank you, thank you, and thank you again) they may think the morning glories you planted (next to the enormous electrical tower in an attempt to cover up all the ugliness with pretty stuff) are weeds and chop them down with a weed wacker. Thankfully, they grow like weeds and will make a comeback three times if need be. If you tie them to said electrical tower it will be obvious you put them there on purpose.
@->--Seed packets come with instructions. Use them. The spacing they suggest is based on someone's experience & expertise. Randomly plopping an enourmous amount of seeds and plants into a tiny area will yeild lots of laughter from people who know better.
@->--If you plant a garden next to a wooded area, the deer will find it. Even if you've never seen a single deer in the 2 years you've lived there. The deer will find the food. They think you've planted it for them.
@->--Naming vegetables is fun, however it's also creepy when it comes time to eat them.
@->--Grass has an amazing ability to grow in places it didn't exist before, and a special way of dying in the lawn where it is supposed to be.
@->--A compost bin brings to light how much I throw in the trash on a regular basis. It's embarrassing, really.
@->--I may have ADD. Just two short months ago I was wishing I lived somewhere that had a longer gardening season so I could keep this up longer. I was having a blast, reading gardening books, gardening blogs, talking to people about gardening, starting new plants WAY too late just to see what would happen. Now I'm a bit bored of it all. It may have something to do with the ferns getting all yellow and brown behind the garden, and the trees starting to turn yellow and red...or the realization that I really could've done a better job if I had done it right the first time...Ever since I realized I will not be having enough tomatoes to make salsa and sauce I've been a bit discouraged-but there's always next year!
@->--Nine cherry tomato plants is just enough to keep Maggie happily eating tomatoes all summer. Nothing else. If I want more than tomatoes to feed Mags, I need more plants. It also takes WAY more than I had anticipated of every other plant to come up with a decent amount of food. I was really surprised by this.
@->--I'm cheap. OK, I knew this before, but...I refused to spend the $15 on a trellis on clearance (which is nothing compared to the springtime price of $75!). I can make one of those out of bamboo and string I declared! Worked out well if I do say so myself.
@->--Patience is a virtue. Allthough I consider myself to be virtuous, I lack this one.
@->--One should not make more work than necissary by watering daily, or one not only will realize the importance of an outdoor water spicket, but also will wear a path in the grass between the house and the garden.
@->--Morning Glories grow like weeds. And if you have some friendly new neighbors who offer to mow your lawn for you (thank you, thank you, and thank you again) they may think the morning glories you planted (next to the enormous electrical tower in an attempt to cover up all the ugliness with pretty stuff) are weeds and chop them down with a weed wacker. Thankfully, they grow like weeds and will make a comeback three times if need be. If you tie them to said electrical tower it will be obvious you put them there on purpose.
@->--Seed packets come with instructions. Use them. The spacing they suggest is based on someone's experience & expertise. Randomly plopping an enourmous amount of seeds and plants into a tiny area will yeild lots of laughter from people who know better.
@->--If you plant a garden next to a wooded area, the deer will find it. Even if you've never seen a single deer in the 2 years you've lived there. The deer will find the food. They think you've planted it for them.
@->--Naming vegetables is fun, however it's also creepy when it comes time to eat them.
@->--Grass has an amazing ability to grow in places it didn't exist before, and a special way of dying in the lawn where it is supposed to be.
@->--A compost bin brings to light how much I throw in the trash on a regular basis. It's embarrassing, really.
@->--I may have ADD. Just two short months ago I was wishing I lived somewhere that had a longer gardening season so I could keep this up longer. I was having a blast, reading gardening books, gardening blogs, talking to people about gardening, starting new plants WAY too late just to see what would happen. Now I'm a bit bored of it all. It may have something to do with the ferns getting all yellow and brown behind the garden, and the trees starting to turn yellow and red...or the realization that I really could've done a better job if I had done it right the first time...Ever since I realized I will not be having enough tomatoes to make salsa and sauce I've been a bit discouraged-but there's always next year!
@->--Nine cherry tomato plants is just enough to keep Maggie happily eating tomatoes all summer. Nothing else. If I want more than tomatoes to feed Mags, I need more plants. It also takes WAY more than I had anticipated of every other plant to come up with a decent amount of food. I was really surprised by this.
@->--I'm cheap. OK, I knew this before, but...I refused to spend the $15 on a trellis on clearance (which is nothing compared to the springtime price of $75!). I can make one of those out of bamboo and string I declared! Worked out well if I do say so myself.
1 comments:
Oh Sarah this was way to funny and so true! I watched you plant and I really did giggle inside knowing you did not have a clue what you were doing. But, you did not ask me for information on my experiences gardening. Love you!
Mom
Post a Comment