Procrastinator does gardening
March 5, 2008
Posted by CindyW in : Opinions & Thoughts , trackback
The patch of dirt in my backyard has been baking in the sun and soaking in the rain for about two years now. And I have been meaning to make an edible garden for a year. After touring neighbor’s gardens and speaking with Common Ground Garden Center, this queen of procrastination finally dug into the dirt this past weekend. I have no idea why it took me so long. Perhaps I have more than average share of inertia or am simply lazy. I digress; it is a large topic for me to meditate on another day.
Just the dirt patch
After 5 hours of laboring (5′ x 16′ trench), we broke ground. Feeling very much like a scientist, my husband “performed” the soil test. The girls helped spread dirt all over each other. And our dog tracked clumps of dirt in the house. All in all, a great start.
Dirt dug up (okay, nothing to show for. It’s a start)
Much like how we raised our first daughter – by the book: What to Expect The First Year – we are planting a garden by a book: How to Grow More Vegetable (by John Jeavons). Stop laughing. I wish I came out of the womb with a green thumb. Alas, this time around, I am excited to see what can survive under my brown (or perhaps black) thumb, corn? Tomatoes? Melons? Bush green beans? Sweet potatoes? I will channel Green Bean’s green thumb and keep blogging on our garden project progress or more likely non-progress.
Lessons learned so far:
- Loosening soil is backbreaking work. Duh!
- Getting husband involved in the projects leads to negotiating on the number of tools required – I: the fewer the better; he: we must have a hula hoe and a dibber. Huh?
- It’s really quite fun to work in the backyard
CindyW
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Comments»
How nice! I so wish that the ground wasn’t completely frozen still in Colorado. Counting the days until a pickax isn’t necessary for ground breaking!
Wow looks like you got lots of work done!
thanks for stopping by to say Hi last night!!
How exciting to see what you plant. Thanks for thinking I have a green thumb.
It remains to be seen.
Man! I am an unabashed city girl, but you and GB and Melinda are giving me garden envy!!
Jeavon’s book is terrific. Also look at Square Foot Gardening. Remember that your taxes pay for the Cooperative Extension Service. Look under County or perhaps State or even State University to find the office in your county. The advice is FREE. Great seed sources are Johnny’s Select, Nichols Garden and Jardin Du Gourmet. They all give lots of info, better than Burpee’s, and the last offers small packets of seeds - great for the first timer to be able to try many different varieties without going broke. Best wishes for a boutiful garden filled with delights!!
P.S. Cindy W, I’m singing to you, “Puerto Rico,
You lovely island . . . Island of tropical breezes.
Always the pineapples growing, Always the coffee blossoms blowing.”
I think you were right after all as to where this election is headed!!
Thanks for all your encouragement, Jennifer, Mandy and Green Bean.
Bellen, thanks so much for the detailed seed recommendation. I will definitely check into them.
arduous: I used to associate gardening with being old and boring (sorry if I offend anyone). Now I am still not into planting the most beautiful roses or daffodils or whatever. It is the idea of growing and harvesting my own food that is intriguing to me. And thanks for the Puerto Rico song. Can you believe that? It’s wearing me down
Good Luck! Since my fiance and I don’t have a backyard we have started a container garden in our apartment that we hope to move outside when it warms up. So far we have basil, parsley, and lavender. We started with a couple because it’s our first attempt.
N.
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