Two weeks ago, my Seed Savers catalog arrived, and with it my eagerness for spring and renewed ambitions for gardening.
After starting out with a few potted herbs and a spindly tomato plant on a back deck a few years ago, I progressed last summer to one small patch of edible herbs and vegetables and another for ornamental herbs and flowers. I grew cucumbers with some success and broccoli with less. Alas, I mistakenly believed that growing broccoli would make me want to eat it. Instead I watched it grow leggy and even more unappetizing. I had great luck with a cherry tomato plant that gave a bounty of lovely and sweet little tomatoes that go for $2.99 a pint at the grocery store. I harvested a couple of green and red peppers, but I couldn't keep the plants hydrated enough, and they wilted for most of the summer. As soon as they started to revive in October, the first frost cut them down for good.
I love planting things and seeing what happens. I started zinnias, hyssop, and delphiniums from seed, coaching the few sprouts that volunteered and trying to keep them watered in the pathetic, weedy soil of my back yard. One type of lavender from the garden center died back in the cold, but another kind seems to be weathering the winter. As does cilantro, which still lives after freezing and thawing several times already. The herb's tender leaves have such a summery, South of the border flavor, but they couldn't hack the East Tennessee heat. Who knew?
Well, gardeners know these things. I like gaining some of this old knowledge, even if it just applies to a few plants in my small yard. I don't have big ambitions of sustaining myself off the grid, but I enjoy providing some edible foods, especially since I could live on tomatoes, basil and green peppers year round. Spring fever inspired me to consider consulting a gardening book or two, but I won't become an expert any time soon. I am too easily distracted by other projects and hobbies to give my full attention to gardening. And, honestly, I'm extremely lazy for most of the year. But I am a committed amateur. I like the idea of learning bit by bit, season to season, trying something new and achievable every year. This year I'd like to double my growing space, maybe build some raised beds and improve the soil. I'd like to try starting seeds early and get them in the ground. I've read about but never experienced first hand the high drama of trying to get plants in the ground at the exact right time without encountering the last, potentially deadly, frost. Maybe I'll consult the Farmers Almanac.
After starting out with a few potted herbs and a spindly tomato plant on a back deck a few years ago, I progressed last summer to one small patch of edible herbs and vegetables and another for ornamental herbs and flowers. I grew cucumbers with some success and broccoli with less. Alas, I mistakenly believed that growing broccoli would make me want to eat it. Instead I watched it grow leggy and even more unappetizing. I had great luck with a cherry tomato plant that gave a bounty of lovely and sweet little tomatoes that go for $2.99 a pint at the grocery store. I harvested a couple of green and red peppers, but I couldn't keep the plants hydrated enough, and they wilted for most of the summer. As soon as they started to revive in October, the first frost cut them down for good.
I love planting things and seeing what happens. I started zinnias, hyssop, and delphiniums from seed, coaching the few sprouts that volunteered and trying to keep them watered in the pathetic, weedy soil of my back yard. One type of lavender from the garden center died back in the cold, but another kind seems to be weathering the winter. As does cilantro, which still lives after freezing and thawing several times already. The herb's tender leaves have such a summery, South of the border flavor, but they couldn't hack the East Tennessee heat. Who knew?
Well, gardeners know these things. I like gaining some of this old knowledge, even if it just applies to a few plants in my small yard. I don't have big ambitions of sustaining myself off the grid, but I enjoy providing some edible foods, especially since I could live on tomatoes, basil and green peppers year round. Spring fever inspired me to consider consulting a gardening book or two, but I won't become an expert any time soon. I am too easily distracted by other projects and hobbies to give my full attention to gardening. And, honestly, I'm extremely lazy for most of the year. But I am a committed amateur. I like the idea of learning bit by bit, season to season, trying something new and achievable every year. This year I'd like to double my growing space, maybe build some raised beds and improve the soil. I'd like to try starting seeds early and get them in the ground. I've read about but never experienced first hand the high drama of trying to get plants in the ground at the exact right time without encountering the last, potentially deadly, frost. Maybe I'll consult the Farmers Almanac.
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