 |
| The raised bed is not really sitting at an angle. I accidently created an angle when I snapped the photo. |
Hello, dear readers. I thought
that Monday would be a good day to update you on my gardening progress since I
spend most of my time with the plants over the weekend.
 |
| Broccoli (left) and carrots. |
 |
| Lettuce |
The plants had progressed over the
three weeks since I planted the seeds and the onion sets.
 |
| Onions, with radishes on the far side. |
And I got a nice surprise. I
thought all the cucumbers had been killed with the freeze week before last. But
I have some green shoots left. I still want to replant some cucumber seeds,
though, along with some other vegetables.
I admit that I felt a bit
overwhelmed when I saw the growth of the plants. Suddenly, I didn’t just have
seeds in the ground that I could watch slowly push up into the light. Suddenly,
I had real plants to take care of.
 |
| Things are growing! |
My insecurity about my lack of
recent gardening experience kicked in, and I thought, what do I do now?
I thinned the radishes, and Larry
wondered if I was thinning them too much. I looked at the carrots and wondered
if they were too close together. I wondered what I would do if the plants
started dying.
Then I reminded myself that I have
resources. I have books.
There are many resources on the
Internet.
And I have my mother, who was a
Master Gardener years ago and could make anything grow. She has retained a vast
knowledge, from her studies and from many years of gardening.
I also reminded myself that this
first year is an experiment. Larry and I will learn what will grow well, what
won’t, what we need to do differently.
It will be OK. Deep breath. Deep
breath. Let go of the anxiety.
How do you cope with that feeling
of being overwhelmed? And for those who garden, what gardening book or books
have you found helpful?
When I feel overwhelmed I try to listen to videos with soft and soothing music, and also being in nature and around animals helps a lot. If we think about it, nature never hurries or feels rushed, yet everything gets done....in its time. Great post, Tina.
ReplyDeleteYes it's the first year and there is always a learning curve. They look lush and green to me and my papaw always told me that's the good early sign :)
ReplyDeleteWhen I'm overwhelmed, I try to focus on something else for awhile. Gardening is all about having fun and relaxing. Don't be too hard on yourself. No one starts this pastime knowing everything. Just enjoy, and you'll learn as you go along.
ReplyDeleteyou garden is coming along great! be proud of your hard work!
ReplyDeleteThe only thing we've purchased are pansies. And we didn't even plant those. Now it is cold, rainy and windy. Ba Humbug!
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed at the progress of your garden. Don't worry about gardens . Gardens look after themselves...mostly. This year is not an experiment but experience.
ReplyDeleteMaybe ask yourself what's the worst that can happen? Gardening is meant to be enjoyable and relaxing; I hope it can be that for you. Everything looks great so far!
ReplyDeleteYou won't get everything right. And sometimes, even when you do, Mother Nature throws you a curve ball. There's so much to learn, and as I write this I'm about to go outside and fix some of my mistakes, but when you start to harvest the food you've grown, there's not a more heavenly feeling of satisfaction. It's a source of endless fascination for me...and I'm looking at books all the time, though I really can't recommend any since mine are focused on my particular climate.
ReplyDeleteYou will be thrilled! I'm so impressed. It's so cold here that I can't put anything in except lettuce and peas. I have some small starter seeds going in the house, but that's about it. The rest of the week is supposed to be cold and rainy. I'm wondering what happened to spring. It's almost May!
ReplyDeleteyour garden is doing really well! i think you'll manage just fine! :)
ReplyDeleteBrilliant!!! Your garden is Happy making.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinkin' the Universe knows exactly how to grow stuff . . Especially gardens of all sorts - -
So, as long as you keep breathin' - it's all gonna be all right.
Thanks for the view. Lovely.
No one ever said a garden has to be perfect! Just do what you can, and I'm sure your plants will do their best to thrive.
ReplyDeletei have never had a big vegtable garden, flower gardens are a different story. my experience with vegtable gardens, is that the stuff grows like weeds. i find they need water, water, water. i never prune, seperate or really tend to my plants and they always produce more then i can eat!!
ReplyDeletehave fun, you will figure it out. and for me, i rarely read a book, i google EVERYTHING!!!
pretty nice blog, following :)
ReplyDeleteNo garden ever is perfect. When you plant, you know that something won't work this year, and you will likely learn something you will use in the following years. It is always a work in progress, and every year is different because of weather, soil, the plants/ seeds you use, etc. So we have to just go with it and remember we plant a garden for the joy and ADVENTURE we have doing so. There is no prize for best or least or biggest or smallest. We do it because when we grow something, we grow, too. Your garden looks wonderful!!!!! And the garden you plant next year will be different than this one because of what you learn. Are you keeping a journal so you can jot down what is working/ when you thin/ plant/ replant/ weather conditions, etc? I try to keep one, and am usually behind, but the info is always so useful the following spring when we begin planning again.Don't forget that people at the Nurseries where you buy plants are a wealth of information. You can usually take in a leaf off of a sick or dying plant and they can help diagnose what you need to do for it. Most important of all, ENJOY your garden and your time in it...
ReplyDeleteYour garden is beautiful, Tina! You have nothing to worry about, and I am inspired by your beautiful, meticulous work!
ReplyDeleteLisa
Your garden looks awesome. And the plants look happy and healthy. I think you did everything right so far! :) And you'll definitely gain more knowledge with time. But I'm sure you'll have lots of wonderful veggies to enjoy this year. What helps me dealing with it when I feel overwhelmed is trying to see the postive things in the moment. My landlords are pros in gardening. Every year we have so many different veggies and fruits - I sure hope I'll be able to learn some gardening from them :)
ReplyDeletethis is exciting to see the growth...I see no weeds :-)
ReplyDelete