Friday, January 18, 2013
I'm pretty sure my neighbors thought I was crazy...
They must have thought I was crazy at one point. Or a glutton for heat, mosquitoes, and blazing sun. Or looney for exiting the shed each night after dark, shovel in hand. What the hell was I digging all night long anyway? Or maybe they just thought I was obsessed. But I'm not the only one though, right? Hello, gardeners?
Something has happened to me though. In the past few years, my vegetable, shade, perennial, slope garden have all gone to crap. It's part laziness, and mostly trying to keep too many balls in the air. After discovering a passion for getting my hands dirty, came blogging about it, then writing about it for publications, then an even bigger project with all its related parts. But no more. This year I'm committed to getting back into the dirt. I'm going to dig and dig all night long starting in march. I'm going to buy a gallon of bug spray because I'm going to be out every day. I'm going to be out there taking extreme close ups of every freaking pollinating element in every freaking flower that blooms. Oh, and will they ever bloom. Because every two weeks, I'll be out there spraying with fish emulsion. I'm going to have my local high school deliver a gazillion bags of mulch. I'm going to turn that crank on my freaking compost tumbler every day. I'm going to do all kinds of soil tests. And I'm going to post pictures. Lots and lots of pictures of roots orange and white. Of fruits yellow and red. Of leaves green and purple. They will roll their eyes at me once again, and I will stand tall, sweating and dirty, with bug eggs in my hair, trowel in hand, thrilled about what I will create.
This year, one quarter of the potager will belong to my 8 year old who has decided to grow an all yellow garden. Yellow bell peppers, yellow carrots, yellow tomatoes, etc. (perhaps she's a little crazy too). Other new things I'm trying are black garbanzo beans, and a Seminole squash - a Florida native, just like my husband. Part of this renewed frenzy for the upcoming season comes from the seed catalogs coupled with the annual wintertime amnesia that always helps me to forget last year's failures. Today my seeds came in and one need only shake the little packet to feel its power to compel. But part of this energy is a renewed focus on what caused all the related distraction in the first place - the actual gardening.
This year, my mail man will once again hate me for my regular packages from Wayside and Bluestone. The inside of my house will again be neglected until November. My neighbors will once again think I'm crazy. And it will be awesome.
Labels:
gardening with kids,
spring garden
17 comments:
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Hahaha, hi Wendy my fellow crazy! Don't worry if we will be put in an asylum there will be many of us there! When i am home on weekends maybe neighbors and passing vehicles also think i am crazy, as i sometimes under some thick bush trying to get a shot of a very very minute insect or spider, or a very small weed 2in from the ground. At least your hobby is helping you to write, mine are really just passing fancy!
ReplyDeleteSpring fever striking a little early...well put. It describes all of us crazies very well.
ReplyDeleteWell put indeed. I still haven't actually ordered my seeds yet, but I will very soon.
ReplyDeleteNow that I am working full time, I also find it hard to work in the garden the way I used to. But interestingly, it's more the IDEA of the garden work that can be off-putting. Once I get going, I remember how much I love it and I'm just fine.
I am so happy for your renewed zest for your garden. I love your crazy. Looking forward to seeing it all unfold. Make sure you remember to blog along the way.
ReplyDeleteIt will be awesome. I'm so excited about this year, because after one year of watching, I'm going to let myself play in the garden :) Some things I have plans for, and some things we'll see what happens. Should be a fun year in our gardens!
ReplyDeleteIt's great experience Wendy! Me too has the same feeling sometimes when i do gardening at night sometimes just with torchlight! ;)
ReplyDeleteGirl I love that energy! AWESOME! You will rock it and I absolutely love that your sweet girl will be planting an all yellow garden...Ha! Can't wait!!!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the gardening this year!!! I pretty sure my neighbors think I'm crazy too. Glad to not be the only crazy gardener!
ReplyDeleteWhat great gardening plans you have for 2013! I will be looking forward to this. Happy happy gardening :)
ReplyDeleteI already have my seeds, too. After a seed swap yesterday, I have even more! I also ordered from Baker Creek. I cannot resist their catalog. :o) Love the idea of an all yellow garden!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds just about right Wendy girl. And it's what I love about February, the season of possibility. The time when we dream and plan and strategize and make lists and spend money. We're amnesic to last year's failures but also last year's sore muscles and broken fingernails and muddy boots.
ReplyDeleteThis will be the year, all right! And maybe you'll even convert your mailman to gardening.
Hi Wendy, hearing you rant, I can feel your enthusiasm oozing out from all your pores ;) Looks like you've caught the spring fever and is fully charged to go forth and produce.
ReplyDeleteYes. What you said. :)
ReplyDeleteI garden on a four-way-stop corner so, boy, do I know about funny looks from the neighbors! And my mailman once asked me if I was looking for buried treasure as I ripped out sod all around our house for gardens. I am with you there! And I am itching to get my seeds going too. Look forward to seeing what you come up with!
~Julie in PA
I raise my glass to you; and will try to join you in every effort except the bugs eggs in the hair. I draw the line at bug eggs in my hair.
ReplyDeleteCraziness necessary to garden, my dear.
ReplyDeleteMiss you!
I had a fairly good idea that my neighbors think I'm crazy because of my wildscape, but then I nailed it down a couple of weeks ago when I introduced myself to the young couple across the street and asked them for their raked leaves at the same time. Ed
ReplyDeleteHi Wendy. I just awarded you the Liebster Award. Just go to my blog to check it out.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ourmushpush.com/2013/04/liebster-award.html