The art of gardening
I like buying gardening books, because with every one I get new ideas. But you can’t go and say ‘this is how you do it’ with 100% chance of being right, and here’s why.
Gardening, like medicine, uses science, but has so many variables you can’t control that you really can’t call it a science. Just like the patient might not take the medicine or might not even believe it works and so not get well when they should, you might get flooding or baking sun or have three-year olds stomp your garden or raccoons show up and lose your plants. You can’t control some things, and sometimes the books are just plain wrong.
For example, asparagus, according to this book I just read, shouldn’t grow in my yard. I have heavy clay soil and poor drainage. My asparagus plants should be dead from root rot. When I read that I laughed.
Because I didn’t know that, and I love asparagus, and now I have six beautiful lush ferns growing in my garden, with new sprouts (still too thin to pick but very nice looking) coming up every day.
On the other hand, my corn (which should be doing great) might make one ear. If that. Not a good year.
I don’t rely too much on books, or even websites. Books and websites are a good guide, but you have to get out there and dig, and figure out what you like to plant, and make it work for your yard if you want to have a productive garden. Every yard (like every person) is different.
So if there’s something you really want to plant, see if there’s a way to make it grow.
I think there’s value in what Mel Bartholomew says in Square Foot Gardening, to go out to at least look at your garden every day. Even if you don’t think anything needs doing, you may be wrong. There might be a bug infestation or the plants might need watering, or weeds might be starting. The other thing is that plants, like animals, seem to know if you are looking after them. It sounds kooky, but they’re alive, after all, and you’re asking them to give up their lives for you. The least you could do is visit them 
I went out last night and found a cicada sitting on a trellis post in among my tomato plants. I wish I would have been able to take a picture of it. The sun had set, and the sky was blue and pink and orange, and the moon was out. The toads and cicadas sang, and the breeze was cool.
Gardens feed more than just your stomach. I think if more people had gardens this country would be a happier place to live.
August 24th, 2007 at 9:20 pm
That was really nice
I am growing a tiny tiny “urban” garden in pots in my bedroom, mostly herbs but they really make my meals more enjoyable. Thanks for inspirational words.
August 24th, 2007 at 9:23 pm
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