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Gardening chitchat.
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The number one thing that made me garden more was getting a pair of gardening gloves. I like walking barefoot in dirt, but I cannot stand having my hands in the dirt. Once I figured that out, I became a much more productive gardener, or perhaps I should say gardener’s lackey–my father instructs and I obey. 😛
Sophie
filasewphie.blogspot.com -
I hope to have a garden one day. For now we are in a small apartment with a fenced patio, so I stick to flowers and herbs in containers. Like you, I enjoy playing in the dirt. 🙂
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Your gardening advice is all good and your raised beds are beautiful. It’s wonderful encouragement to the garden weary…start small and enjoy it. Just about every Spring of my life has been spent in the garden. And truthfully I’m still not very good at it!
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Your garden looks great. I have bins made out of pallets also. I like your idea of cutting down the middle pallet to help with turning. I actually like turning my piles, it gives me a good workout. I also feel like I’ve had a mini vacation after visiting the garden.
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Thank you for mentioning your gardening ‘issues’.
I live in the city and believe I must dress presentably to garden, as I am visible from the street, and we often have impromptu visitors. This perfectionism is very stressful. I get dirty just standing and looking at a task, much less sweating in the sun while digging in the dirt; so imagine.
Also, you get one season at a time, and can’t just start over with mistakes! Must wait another year.
But I love the little successes.
Have you read Fruitless Fall? I pet and pray for every bee that comes around.
deb meyers
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One thing I enjoy about gardening is that everything stays put, unlike housekeeping. I find it very relaxing and satisfying to pull weeds and make the garden neat. Yes, the weeds will grow again, but at least it will look good for awhile. Unlike the living room which was just picked up before I went outside and now is covered with Legos and Lincoln Logs. The garden lets me indulge a little in delusion of control.
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Hi Leila,
Isn’t it funny how pumpkins are the most prolific item in the compost heap. It seems like every year we have had at least one plant that has flurished. We never get around to moving ours though – someday.As far as getting out there to work, someone told me once to get an old mailbox to put near the garden so I have a handy place to store my gloves, dandelion weeds, bug spray, etc. This ideally would save me from running inside when I have no doubt forgotten to bring them with me. Someday, again, this will get done. 🙂
My sister and I garden together and have had baby’s every other year now for awhile. With this experience I must say having a bench or chair near the garden simplifies nursing outside SO MUCH. That bench makes it easier to get the gardening work done (or to sit and have the cup of coffee while procrastinating the gardening work.)
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Leila,
You probably know this but a study done on that amazing (and increasing) group of people who are living until the ripe old age of 100 (!)…the vast majority of these folks garden! They have something to get out of bed for! They see the fruit of their labor! They get Vitamin D! Amazing! Gardening may make you live for a very long time:).
I am like you and am just now (at almost 50) feeling like I can focus a bit on gardening. I have had to realize that it is a process and many variables are involved. I am trying very hard to relax and enjoy the process even if the end results seem piddly…plus I LOVE the out-of-doors (once I get out of the house!).
Jill
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I know exactly what you mean about liking outside once you go, but not going. And about hating to change clothes! And about always being cold! (Did you marry someone who sleeps hot? Maddening, isn’t it… one of these days I swear I’m going to sew a pima cotton twin sheet to a cotton flannel twin sheet and he can have half and I’ll have the other half on our king-sized bed.)
I have an untidy garden but man, it’s productive. Just another example of God multiplying our loaves and fishes…
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I have raised beds too. I neglected them terribly last year and had to cover them all with black plastic this year to kill all the weeds. I did manage to clear out a good corner for some lettuce, chives, cilantro, lavender and strawberries. But the rest of it will have to wait til next year! I don’t yet have a real compost pile. That’s my goal for this year.
Have you read “Inheriting Paradise: Meditations on Gardeing” by Vigen Guroian? If not, I think you would like it. Short little chapters about the garden through the liturgical year from an Eastern Orthodox Christian perspective.
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I think gloves and a bench or chair would have solved my nursing problem. Gloves are a worthwhile, nay, essential, investment.
I am not sure I want to live to be 100, but I definitely want to be a spry old person, so I’m glad I started gardening seriously before it was too late!
LeeAnn, I think Rosie has that book and I think I’ve read parts…I think I have the abstract part down 😉 it’s the practical part I have to work on!
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I love this post! With all my other hobbies, I think I *should* love to garden, too, but I’m not. So often I just feel overwhelmed with info and I get paralyzed. I only have a shady city back yard and access to superb farmer’s markets, so I don’t NEED to garden, but it’s in my blood for literally generations of farmers.
Thank you for being frank about your “failures.” I too calculated the cost of how much my homegrown tomatoes cost when I tried it last year – and they were so so so expensive. I learned the hard way that my yard is just too shady for vegetables.
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Gardening is the best! I’d love raised beds sometime, but for now we just use the big dirt rectangle my mom plowed up for her garden here nearly 2 decades ago. It works and it’s cheap.
I wear a black tank top and black cotton capri pants. that way if someone drops by–unlikely for our rural cottage, but you never know–I’m sort of dirty-chic presentable, and the black clothes seem to take a lot more abuse than lighter clothes. And, of course, a big floppy hat–de rigeur for gardening, yes???
I heartily agree w/ your advice on not reading too much about it. Dig up the ground, go get some seeds and/or plants, do what they say, keep the weeds under control and you’ll grow something. Too many people make this far too complicated! It’s not!!!
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I was tempted last year to create a spreadsheet of all our gardening startup costs, and compare to our bounty. I did, in fact, weigh parts of our harvest and calculate, at current market value, how much it would cost at the supermarket. i’m a geek like that. i had to stop weighing thing when the harvest grew too large! hope this year goes as well as last 🙂
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Oh, and on the subject of cost-per-vegetable, I have only one comment:
“There’s only two things that money can’t buy, and that’s true love and homegrown tomatoes.”
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If you ever have a moment, do share more about your composting…I’ve wanted to set one up and I’m thinking of starting in the fall when our messy trees will give us TONS of leaves to work with.
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Mel, we keep our kitchen waste in a bin next to the sink (if you go here: http://ourmothersdaughters.blogspot.com/2009/08/its-because-i-love-you-so-much-that-my.html
and scroll down about half-way you’ll see a picture of the white enamel bin I use).A kid (Bridget) empties it on the pile when it gets full.
Grass clippings and weeds go in there. Some leaves but not many — I have other places for the leaves — they would overwhelm this compost in no time!
My mom got that big hay fork and the Chief has been convinced that it’s manly to go out there and turn the pile every once in a while.
Now I have the other pile, so when it gets “done” I turn it into that one. A few turns and — compost! The second one means that we aren’t throwing eggshells and banana peels on almost-done compost.
Keep layering grass clippings, kitchen waste, manure if you have it, weeds, dirt — and keep it moist. Turn it. It will become compost!
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By the way, my strange inability to process practical things until I do them myself made it so that I just could not understand what books meant by “turn the compost”.
It just didn’t make sense, and when I tried what I thought they meant (mix it up really well), it was too heavy for me to get anywhere.
Now I understand that it just means get your pitchfork in there at whatever point you can lift stuff, and turn that stuff over.
Then stick it in somewhere else and repeat.
Try to get the raw stuff (kitchen waste) into the middle, and the hot stuff (grass clippings) into the middle.
Don’t aim for perfect mixing, because that’s not possible, and don’t worry if you just do it once. Once is better than none at all! Just go out another time and do it again.
Or get your menfolk to do it 😉
Sophie Miriam says
The number one thing that made me garden more was getting a pair of gardening gloves. I like walking barefoot in dirt, but I cannot stand having my hands in the dirt. Once I figured that out, I became a much more productive gardener, or perhaps I should say gardener's lackey–my father instructs and I obey. :PSophiefilasewphie.blogspot.com
Jessica says
I hope to have a garden one day. For now we are in a small apartment with a fenced patio, so I stick to flowers and herbs in containers. Like you, I enjoy playing in the dirt. 🙂
Freckled Hen says
Your gardening advice is all good and your raised beds are beautiful. It's wonderful encouragement to the garden weary…start small and enjoy it. Just about every Spring of my life has been spent in the garden. And truthfully I'm still not very good at it!
Briana says
Your garden looks great. I have bins made out of pallets also. I like your idea of cutting down the middle pallet to help with turning. I actually like turning my piles, it gives me a good workout. I also feel like I've had a mini vacation after visiting the garden.
An Adventurer in the says
Thank you for mentioning your gardening 'issues'. I live in the city and believe I must dress presentably to garden, as I am visible from the street, and we often have impromptu visitors. This perfectionism is very stressful. I get dirty just standing and looking at a task, much less sweating in the sun while digging in the dirt; so imagine. Also, you get one season at a time, and can't just start over with mistakes! Must wait another year. But I love the little successes.Have you read Fruitless Fall? I pet and pray for every bee that comes around.deb meyers
Katherine says
One thing I enjoy about gardening is that everything stays put, unlike housekeeping. I find it very relaxing and satisfying to pull weeds and make the garden neat. Yes, the weeds will grow again, but at least it will look good for awhile. Unlike the living room which was just picked up before I went outside and now is covered with Legos and Lincoln Logs. The garden lets me indulge a little in delusion of control.
Betsy says
Hi Leila,Isn't it funny how pumpkins are the most prolific item in the compost heap. It seems like every year we have had at least one plant that has flurished. We never get around to moving ours though – someday. As far as getting out there to work, someone told me once to get an old mailbox to put near the garden so I have a handy place to store my gloves, dandelion weeds, bug spray, etc. This ideally would save me from running inside when I have no doubt forgotten to bring them with me. Someday, again, this will get done. 🙂 My sister and I garden together and have had baby's every other year now for awhile. With this experience I must say having a bench or chair near the garden simplifies nursing outside SO MUCH. That bench makes it easier to get the gardening work done (or to sit and have the cup of coffee while procrastinating the gardening work.)
Jill says
Leila, You probably know this but a study done on that amazing (and increasing) group of people who are living until the ripe old age of 100 (!)…the vast majority of these folks garden! They have something to get out of bed for! They see the fruit of their labor! They get Vitamin D! Amazing! Gardening may make you live for a very long time:).I am like you and am just now (at almost 50) feeling like I can focus a bit on gardening. I have had to realize that it is a process and many variables are involved. I am trying very hard to relax and enjoy the process even if the end results seem piddly…plus I LOVE the out-of-doors (once I get out of the house!).Jill
Breanna says
I know exactly what you mean about liking outside once you go, but not going. And about hating to change clothes! And about always being cold! (Did you marry someone who sleeps hot? Maddening, isn't it… one of these days I swear I'm going to sew a pima cotton twin sheet to a cotton flannel twin sheet and he can have half and I'll have the other half on our king-sized bed.)I have an untidy garden but man, it's productive. Just another example of God multiplying our loaves and fishes…
LeeAnn Balbirona says
I have raised beds too. I neglected them terribly last year and had to cover them all with black plastic this year to kill all the weeds. I did manage to clear out a good corner for some lettuce, chives, cilantro, lavender and strawberries. But the rest of it will have to wait til next year! I don't yet have a real compost pile. That's my goal for this year.Have you read "Inheriting Paradise: Meditations on Gardeing" by Vigen Guroian? If not, I think you would like it. Short little chapters about the garden through the liturgical year from an Eastern Orthodox Christian perspective.
Leila says
I think gloves and a bench or chair would have solved my nursing problem. Gloves are a worthwhile, nay, essential, investment. I am not sure I want to live to be 100, but I definitely want to be a spry old person, so I'm glad I started gardening seriously before it was too late!LeeAnn, I think Rosie has that book and I think I've read parts…I think I have the abstract part down 😉 it's the practical part I have to work on!
Margo says
I love this post! With all my other hobbies, I think I *should* love to garden, too, but I'm not. So often I just feel overwhelmed with info and I get paralyzed. I only have a shady city back yard and access to superb farmer's markets, so I don't NEED to garden, but it's in my blood for literally generations of farmers.Thank you for being frank about your "failures." I too calculated the cost of how much my homegrown tomatoes cost when I tried it last year – and they were so so so expensive. I learned the hard way that my yard is just too shady for vegetables.
Polly says
Gardening is the best! I'd love raised beds sometime, but for now we just use the big dirt rectangle my mom plowed up for her garden here nearly 2 decades ago. It works and it's cheap. I wear a black tank top and black cotton capri pants. that way if someone drops by–unlikely for our rural cottage, but you never know–I'm sort of dirty-chic presentable, and the black clothes seem to take a lot more abuse than lighter clothes. And, of course, a big floppy hat–de rigeur for gardening, yes???I heartily agree w/ your advice on not reading too much about it. Dig up the ground, go get some seeds and/or plants, do what they say, keep the weeds under control and you'll grow something. Too many people make this far too complicated! It's not!!!
Mama Bean says
I was tempted last year to create a spreadsheet of all our gardening startup costs, and compare to our bounty. I did, in fact, weigh parts of our harvest and calculate, at current market value, how much it would cost at the supermarket. i'm a geek like that. i had to stop weighing thing when the harvest grew too large! hope this year goes as well as last 🙂
Sophie Miriam says
Oh, and on the subject of cost-per-vegetable, I have only one comment: "There's only two things that money can't buy, and that's true love and homegrown tomatoes."
mel says
If you ever have a moment, do share more about your composting…I've wanted to set one up and I'm thinking of starting in the fall when our messy trees will give us TONS of leaves to work with.
Leila says
Mel, we keep our kitchen waste in a bin next to the sink (if you go here: <a href="http://ourmothersdaughters.blogspot.com/2009/08/its-because-i-love-you-so-much-that-my.htmlhttp://ourmothersdaughters.blogspot.com/2009/08/i… />and scroll down about half-way you'll see a picture of the white enamel bin I use).A kid (Bridget) empties it on the pile when it gets full.Grass clippings and weeds go in there. Some leaves but not many — I have other places for the leaves — they would overwhelm this compost in no time!My mom got that big hay fork and the Chief has been convinced that it's manly to go out there and turn the pile every once in a while.Now I have the other pile, so when it gets "done" I turn it into that one. A few turns and — compost! The second one means that we aren't throwing eggshells and banana peels on almost-done compost.Keep layering grass clippings, kitchen waste, manure if you have it, weeds, dirt — and keep it moist. Turn it. It will become compost!
Leila says
By the way, my strange inability to process practical things until I do them myself made it so that I just could not understand what books meant by "turn the compost". It just didn't make sense, and when I tried what I thought they meant (mix it up really well), it was too heavy for me to get anywhere.Now I understand that it just means get your pitchfork in there at whatever point you can lift stuff, and turn that stuff over. Then stick it in somewhere else and repeat.Try to get the raw stuff (kitchen waste) into the middle, and the hot stuff (grass clippings) into the middle.Don't aim for perfect mixing, because that's not possible, and don't worry if you just do it once. Once is better than none at all! Just go out another time and do it again.Or get your menfolk to do it 😉