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Category: My Garden Story -- from bad to WOW (hopefully) | Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2013 4:08 pm

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I'd like to claim that I was Mary Poppins -- perfect in every way -- but that certainly isn't true. I've tried many times to convince my dad that I was, but that only raises the eyebrow of skepticism. But this isn't a blog entry designed to list all my faults, just one of them. And maybe an argument can be made it's not a bad thing. What I'm talking about is my overachieving enthusiasm.

When I find a new interest I tend to attack it with everything I have. I'm approaching gardening the same way. As soon as I closed on my house gardening was on my mind. I had the books. I had the magazines. I'd visited the few open nurseries. I bought tools. I bought new gardening gloves. The problem is that it's in the middle of winter. That's okay, though, because I'm learning that there's lots that can be done. The first thing I did was research and build a compost bin. That's done and going. The past weekend I had some open time and planned on cleaning the dried weed and grass mess in the garden down to the bare dirt. But then the arctic front came down last Wednesday. It dumped 6" of snow and the temps haven't gone above 10 degrees F (-12 C) since then. So I've just stared at it. And stared. And stared...

Since I couldn't do anything outside, I started inside. Kind of. First I went out and measured the area. That must have been amusing to the neighbors. I can see them in my mind's eye, looking out their kitchen windows, cup of hot chocolate in hand, watching V out in her back yard, half a foot of snow on the ground, and she's got a tape measure laid out. Anyhow I got my measurements, drew it out on some graph paper, and started laying out my veggies for May. And then I started making lists of what I wanted, read books, crossed things off and added more, read magazines, rearranged where I was going to plant, read books, studied sun and shade patterns in the yard, read magazines, made new lists (because I like to make lists), read books....

Okay, I've mentally let my enthusiasm take me as far as I can go. Now I want to do something. But right now it's warmed up to 2 degrees F. And with the short days will be dark long before I get home from work. And so my go-all-out enthusiasm is going into hibernation. Drat it all!



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toni wrote on Mon Dec 09, 2013 4:47 pm:

The enthusiasm will return with a hard jolt when you notice that the days are staying more sunny and warm than cloudy and chilly.

Studying the sun and shade patterns in your yard in winter gives you no usable information for planting in spring and summer. The sun is almost at it's farthest point south and after Dec 21st, the Winter Solstice, it will begin heading back this way. Technically it is the earth that is moving :). Continue making note of the sun/shade pattern all the way through summer. The first year you will find that some plants need to be moved and that's okay just part of the ongoing process of gardening.

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V for short wrote on Mon Dec 09, 2013 5:34 pm:

Hi Toni, I know the sun and shade patterns now will be completely different from the Summer. Right now the raised beds get no direct sun whatsoever. It will give me an idea of how the shade will move. More than anything, it gives me something to do and think about.

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eileen wrote on Mon Dec 09, 2013 6:25 pm:

V I think all we gardeners do exactly the same type of thing when we have a new garden to deal with. I know when I moved here I was going to do such wild and wonderful things!! Now, nearly 30 years later, I'm still making lists of all the things I'm going to achieve and probably always will!!
You've done all the right things when you can't actually be outside digging in the dirt. Just wait until spring and you'll have such fun putting all your plans into action.

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Sjoerd wrote on Mon Dec 09, 2013 9:35 pm:

I lurve your enthusiasm. Nothing wrong with that, it is invigorating to read.
Don't fret now that it is waning, it will return to you.

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cherylad wrote on Tue Dec 10, 2013 2:36 am:

V... all I can say is "been there. done that.". Wait... "still doing that:! No worries... spring will be here soon and you'll be out there playing in the dirt in no time.

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Frank wrote on Thu Dec 12, 2013 2:16 pm:

Stick with it V. Just think of all the pent up energy you will release come spring. The garden won't know what hit it!

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Jerry Sullivan wrote on Thu Dec 12, 2013 11:27 pm:

No!! No!1 Don't hibernate! It's hard to grow something in 6" of snow but a couple of inches of dirt, a pot, some herb seeds, a window, sun, water(sounds like a list) :-) ). Mix with a little enthusiasm and a pinch of mystery add some time(pun intended) and….. Winter will pass a little quicker. For more of a challenge you might try: http://www.gardenstew.com/blog/e10953-4-rescued-from-the-cooking-pot.html

http://www.gardenstew.com/blog/e10953-5-rescuing-herbs.html

Winter is fun around here, we just have to try harder.

Jerry

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mart wrote on Mon Jan 06, 2014 6:22 pm:

And remember if you are starting plants from seed,,you need to start 6 to 8 weeks before last frost date in your area. So now is the time to buy them. Look on ebay for good seed deals this time of year.

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