This week for Sunday Scribblings the topic is: THE PLAN
Yes, I planned to have a garden. I had railroad ties brought in to make a raised bed. My husband figured out how much dirt I would need brought in. I plotted it out. I was going to use the "Square Foot Gardening" method. I tied up the string to mark off my plots. I ordered from the garden catalogs, I shopped the gardening centers. I got everything planted. The garden looked great.
Then the weeds came, and they came. I have never seen so many weeds in my life. I spent hours everyday pulling those darn things. They never stopped coming in. My vegetables started coming in at the same time. I think I pulled baby vegetables thinking they were weeds. What did I know? I only had a plan.
The garden didn't so well that year. I didn't know when to take the brussel sprouts off the plant, they turned to seed. I didn't know when the broccoli was ready, it turned to seed. Some sort of something got to my tomato plants. The corn never did come up.
I was so discouraged. I decided to grow flowers the following year. Weeds came in that garden too. Sure, I had flowers all season long. I had chosen wisely. I had plants that bloomed at different times. I learned how to dead head. I weeded and weeded and weeded.
I don't garden any more. My garden space is now mowed down. Sometimes we sit there and look at our woods.
I learned from my gardening experiences a couple of things about myself. I don't like weeds. I don't like planning a garden. I don't like weeds. I don't like to get my fingernails dirty. I don't like weeds.
My plan now is to not garden. My plan now is to have plants that only grow one season, and to have them in pots.
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I really enjoyed your post! I am fairly newly retired and newly moved sort of into the woods, sort of out of town, almost in the mountains, from the sandy soil of Gulf coast FL. I am trying gardening for the first time and rather enjoying it. However, I can identify with several of your problems. My first and so far only tomato began to go bad on the bottom side before I picked it because I kept waiting for it to get redder. I am worried about my first banana pepper doing the same thing because I keep waiting because it is still getting larger. Those stupid little seed envelopes and plant tags don't tell you how to know when it is time to pick. I don't have your weed problem because my plants are almost all in containers. I had a new friend I call my "garden guru" come out to see our yard to tell me where the best place for a garden was and he said I didn't have enough daily sun anywhere (because of all our trees)but up on the deck to grow a healthy garden. So I got 5 of those 15 to 18 inch tall round plastic pots to do my planting in. The one where I planted my carrots, radishes, and beets I now keep on a furniture dollie so I can move them around in the driveway to get the sun. I planted them only about 3 weeks ago, so they are still only little green sprouts. We have yet to see whether or not I get edible food from those, but it keeps me busy. My problem with in-house potted plants: my 2 cats!! Funny--huh?
ReplyDeleteI wish I could grow plants as good as I grow weeds. Maybe we should try a weed garden.
ReplyDeleteMostly I just have weeds. The other stuff couldn't cope...and it's okay with me. Now.
ReplyDelete