How Does Your Garden Grow?

[Daryn Kagan]

It seems like so many folks are going nuts for gardening!

I'm putting in my first vegetable garden tomorrow. I'm very excited.
We're planting tomatahs (not tomatOes, tomatahs, here in the South.,) Dixie Butter Peas (known as lima beans elsewhere,) bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, zucchini, and eggplant.

Any suggestions from you more experienced gardeners out there?

Also, why do you do garden? What kind of joy does it bring you?

[BD]

Gardening has become therapeutic to me over the years. My first experience was helping my grandmother with her vast array of potted plants. Yes, it was an apartment, but entering that room, filled to the ceiling with plants, made one believe one was in an indoor garden. I progressed to a small flower and vegetable garden in a sunny location during my first year of marriage. We had a great crop yield from all our vegetables, yet, somehow, the green beans were missing from the plants. Could not figure out where they were going until we caught our pooch , with her fingers , or rather, paws , in the cookie jar. She had jumped the fence and was blissfully munching on the green beans.

I was an "organic" gardener way back then and have continued to be so to this day. I have a rather extensive [ and breath-taking] cottage style garden on my present property. When we were forced to call in a beekeeper to remove some vicious hornets , the beekeeper knew as soon as he saw all the friendly bumblebees, honeybees and butterflies in my garden that I was not using dangerous chemicals. Guests are amazed when they observe me work among all the bees as I pull weeds or snip shoots. I move ever so slowly and literally work side by side with them. The beekeeper told me the reason why my blooms are so incredible is that I have unconsciously planted favorite plants the bees love and they are pollinating them for me. I am in awe of the various butterflies who visit. Why, I even have hummingbirds , a rare sight in crisp Connecticut.

The one suggestion I have for any new gardener is to take it all in when you are in your new slice of heaven. Listen to nature. You might be surprised at all you never heard before this new venture!

[Rebecca McDougal]

Beautiful message! I too am starting my first vegetable garden this month and can't wait to see the hummingbirds, bees & butterflies. Thanks!

[Anna Diehl]

Growing up in Calgary, I spent every summer with relatives on The Farm. I learned a lot - Saskatchewan prairie farm, big family - you can imagine the size of the garden. So double that, and you'll have an idea of the potato patch, home to rows and rows of plants screaming for thistle extrication... How many rows one was assigned to weed in the potato patch depended on what one did that one wasn't supposed to do.

I excel at weeding.

My advice comes down to this: if you find yourself digging trenches for your seeds, while older folks and retired farmers watch on, know that their desire is not to help you grow beautiful veggies. Let them observe, smile periodically, and have a few big big big containers in waiting ... because those folks will ask you over one day to see their garden, and I guarantee you'll need to bring something empty.

And Dang! They're good!

[Heather Leigh Martin]

I used to own a small berry farm with the primary crop being raspberries, but we had all sorts of fruits including peaches, pears, apples, plums, cherries, etc. There was absolutely nothing better than picking berries in the early morning when all you could hear was the wind and the birds. I loved that time. it was so theraputic for me. We left the farm as it was just to much to handle with both my husband and I working full time, and it wasn't enough income for one of us to do it full time.

We moved from the berry farm three years ago and now have two kids (2 yrs old and 5 weeks old) and this year I will be puting in a berry patch for my son. I hope to expand it to vegetables in years to come. There's nothing better than picking berries warm from the sun and popping them in your mouth on a summer's day.

I am also starting the garden because I want to provide my children with healthy, pesticide free foods as much as possible. I also want them to participate in the garden. It's something we can do together and there are lots of 'lessons' I can work into the experience.

Having had a two acre orchard to tend to, my suggestion is start small so you are successful and grow a little each year. (ha! no pun intended!)

[Erin]

cucumbers :) Nothins better than a good mater & cucumber sandwish, fresh from the garden, on a hot summer afternoon!

Why do I garden. Now there's the question huh?

There's something very calming about gardening. About watching things grow. Getting my hands dirty and feeling like I'm getting back to nature really helps center myself. Helps me find balance in a lifestyle that requires so much time spent dealing with technology and people I know only through the internet.

It's also very rewarding come harvest time. You can't help but feel proud of your tiny little vegetables as they grow, and even prouder when dinner (or lunch) is comprised of things you helped grow.

[BD]

For those people who are interested in an herb garden, I would say "do it!" with enthusiasm. In the past, I had an official herb section of my garden...guess there were too many visits to colonial homes here in New England over the years to ignore their psychological influence. However, this year I changed some things in the garden to make life easier and will now do my herbs in very attractive containers. [ rosemary, basil, chives, dill, parsley, cilantro, oregano, mint] A word to the wise....if thinking of planting mint in your garden [ and just try fresh mint in fruit salads, reg garden salads etc..] DO NOT make the mistake I did by placing it in an area where it can spread. Mint is a monster and will spread its root system underground, choking out your other herbs. A man warned me in the garden shop years ago but I thought I could control it. HA! I hang my head in shame. It took years to stop it. Now I am planting it in its very own patio container, since it does not play nicely with other plants.