FOOD. Vegetables and fruits you pick straight from the vine taste better. Because you have control of their growing environment, you know they aren’t genetically modified or covered in chemicals. Take care of your garden, and it will, in turn, provide you and your family with fresh produce, much of which can’t be bought in stores, especially at the peak of freshness. Grow unique things like goji berries or blueberries. You can in your garden, and they aren’t costly like store-bought.
3. FLOWERS. Fresh flowers are food for the soul and shouldn’t be left out of any garden. Most store-bought flowers have been shipped from far-away countries, where they are laced with chemicals and fumigants, and the companies growing them employ workers who don’t earn a living wage. The scent is bred out of many commercial flowers in order to achieve those “perfect,” long-lasting blooms. But you can grow natural flowers, scented and beautiful.
4. BEAUTY. Intangible benefits are just as important as the more practical ones. A garden – even if it’s a deck or patio – is a place to bring forth the artist in you, and to feed your senses. When you consider the almost infinite shapes, textures and colors of plants and containers, and all the ways they can be arranged, your garden space is a canvas just waiting for you.
Tried and true
Maybe you’ve honestly tried your hand at growing things before, and your garden didn’t live up to your expectations. Did squash bugs eat your squash? Did your zinnias develop mildew? Join the club. All gardeners have setbacks. Good gardeners kill plants. Don’t be discouraged. Failure means we are stretching our gardening muscles and the limits of our climate. The environment may work against us at times, but that’s why we have compost heaps. We turn the remains of our successes, along with our failures, into black gold. Rejoice! It’s the circle of life, baby!
With this book, you can create an inviting oasis wherever you live. I know, because I’ve lived and gardened in all circumstances, from a city apartment with only a south-facing balcony to my present home in the country on 7.5 acres.
Inside, you’ll find three, distinct, garden development plans for all sizes of available space – balcony, patio or small yard– along with easy, illustrated steps to take you through three years of building upon success and lessons learned. But no pressure . . . you can work at your own pace. Work ahead if you like, or take two years (even three!) at a particular stage. It’s your garden and your choice. You can also start with the first garden plan, which is all about containers, and then move on to the second garden plan or the third. It’s independent study, but with a friend. I’m standing right beside you, celebrating what works and helping with what doesn’t.
I should also mention that I’ve loaded up these pages with how-to’s, easy-to-achieve DIY projects, charts, sketches – and lots of tips and other gardening road signs. And we’ll kick-start your learning curve with a brief glossary of common garden terms, right up front. Oh, and a gardener’s basic tool kit, too. You didn’t think I was going to throw you into the deep end without your water wings, did you?
About time
Caring for the garden can be worked around tight schedules, including the 40-plus-hour workweek and the topsy-turvy lifestyle of a new parent – both of which provide little time for the great outdoors. I understand the constraints of a busy schedule. I had three of our four children in six years and also worked full time in an office building. As a result of my own hectic life, I had to learn to work in 30-minute increments. Was it worth it? Absolutely. There was nothing like pulling into my driveway at the end of the day and seeing containers full of flowers by the front door, welcoming me home.
Why am I writing a garden book for 20-30 Somethings? Because those were some of the busiest years in my own life, and because two of my children, Ashley and Megan, are 20-30 Somethings themselves. I understand only too well the challenges of trying to “do it all” and still keep some balance, beauty and connection in our days.
Reality check
Have you been watching (and drooling over) some of those amazing garden shows on TV? Fun as they are, they can leave the impression that gardening is all about DIY projects and instant gratification. You have a garden crew or television crew come in, and in a few hours – voila! The yard is finished. Who wouldn’t want that? But what doesn’t come across is the reality that gardening is more about the process than the results. Even projects completed by experts must be maintained. Those crews leave and you are alone with their creation.
I want a richer experience for you. I want these garden projects to be yours, and to have your ideas inhabit them once the soil and plants are installed. I also want you to try to slow down and consider gardening as the process that it is. Just like yoga, it will give you great results, but it’s the ongoing process of inhabiting the postures and learning to breathe that gets you there. And just like yoga, gardening can take you away from the computer or your day job and help you to relax – even if it’s just minutes a day.
These are all good reasons to garden, so let’s plunge our hands into the soil and get dirty. The garden is our playground. Let’s play!
Clockwise from top:
Bill, Dee, Claire, Ashley, Megan and Brennan
Dee
A GARDENER’S GLOSSARY
Although no garden glossary is complete, below are a few vegetable-growing terms you’ll find helpful.
* * *
Aeration – The loosening of soil or other matter by various means, allowing air to pass freely through it.
Acidic Soil – Soil with a pH reading below 7.0; soil measuring above 7.0 pH is called alkaline. Drier soils tend to be more alkaline. Use a soil test to determine pH along with other factors.
Amendment – Organic material added to soil to improve it.
Annual – A plant that completes its entire growth cycle from seed to bloom and again to seed in one year’s time.
Beneficial Insects – Insects that improve the soil (e.g., earthworms), pollinate plants, or control harmful insects and other garden pests.
Biennial – A plant that takes two seasons to complete its life cycle, flowering and producing seed in the second year.
Blossom End Rot – A disorder of tomatoes, peppers and eggplant caused by a lack of calcium. Uneven watering and drought are also factors.
Bolting – When a cold-weather plant, like spinach or kale, is stressed by heat, causing it to flower and set seed if left in place. All is not lost: you can eat these flowers, too.
Cloche – A glass or plastic cover meant to protect plants from cold temperatures
