My passion for gardening

I often am asked by friends and business associates why I am so passionate about my gardening.  It's a good question and I often contemplate why I do actually garden.  It's certainly not because it is an easy to do activity.  It's not because I love the forever battle against the elements either.  There is nothing more deflating than to go out to the garden and find that a wave of leaf miners has let loose on your various plants.  Neither it is fun to survey your garden after a wicked summer thunderstorm to find your Peppers and/or Tomatoes have been severely damaged after they have set fruit.  Nor is there anything more disturbing than to have to cover your plants in the garden due to an impending later than normal frost in the Spring.  Or worse yet, when you go to pick a prize tomato and find out the squirrels have had a bite of it.  No, those aren't the reasons I garden year in and year out.
No, despite all these obstacles to actually garden, there are many reasons to garden.  I like the challenges that a growing plant represents.  Unlike mass producing farmers, a backyard garden does not provide the luxury allowing for some loss.  Each plant is important in the scheme of the garden. That's one of the core challenges of a garden in my mind.  To nurture that plant to it's final fruit despite the many problems you and it face throughout the seasons.
I also like the fact that I am solely responsible for the garden.  My efforts produce the results that are attained.  What I do and don't do, when I do it and how observant I am directly impacts the plants. From what I do to prep the soil in the fall and spring, what specific plants I plant, how I space them and what fertilization methods and inputs I use all affect the output of the garden.  It is all up to me for the most part.
Growing what I love to eat is also a big plus.  I don't see myself as a food snob but it would be rare for me to eat a store bought tomato, cucumber or pepper.  I grow only Heirloom tomatoes, specific types of cucumbers and peppers due to their taste.  There is a huge difference between a store bought tomato and a Brandywine fresh off your vine.  There is nothing like home grown taste.
The last and probably most important reason I have a garden is it is my "go to" place for peacefulness.  When I am in the garden working on the plants or spying possible issues, I am actually quite calm.  It's where I can get my mind to let go of the day and this world we live in.  When I see a bee busily hopping from plant to plant or a butterfly doing likewise, I can watch them going about their business and forget the day and the world.  I can breathe again and just be in the moment.  One moment this year that I can remember is when I found a frog in my garden.  It was so out of the ordinary.  It was so tiny that a pepper leaf covered him.  I watched him for a short time and just released the leaf so it covered him back up.  I never expected to see it there, but for some reason, I just stopped and watched for a short time not worried about what was "next" on my list.  That kind of moment, while not important in the scheme of things, still resonates with me.
So, you see, gardening has it many benefits that far outweigh the risks involved.  You too can do this and feel the same one day too.  All you have to do is just take the first step.  I guarantee you won't regret it.  Until next time, Happy Gardening.  

Leaf composting dilemma

Well, last weekend I had to address the abundance of leaves in my backyard lest I have no grass next year.  Leaves are an essential item in my composting endeavor so I had to get them collected for next year.  As seen in the picture below, our tree blessed us with a much greater yield than last year.

I was faced with quite the dilemma for sure.  So, I gathered them altogether to see just what I was dealing with exactly.  Using a rake and my blower, this is the abundance I had.  

It stood about 3 feet high and 4-5 feet round.  As you might be able to see, I stuck my rake in the middle of it just for perspective.  I have read about composting leaves in bags so I decided to give it a try.  The first thing to know is that you have to use heavy duty garbage bags.  I prefer construction grade bags that I can get at Home Depot.  Normal bags will rip over winter.  

The key to this is that you have to wet down the leaves in the bags and then close them.  I decided that the best way to do this was to fill the bags a third at a time and then water each third as I go.  The water helps bacteria grow and break the leaves down.  What I should have, if this works, is leaf mold in the Spring.  This can be used as a direct amendment to the soil or as an additive to my compost. So, for about 2-3 hours, I bagged and wet down the leaves and tied them up.  One more step has to be followed.  Once the bag is full and tied, you need to poke 4-6 holes in the bottom so excess moisture can escape.  Then you can set them out in your yard and let the leaves decompose.  

After everything was finished, I ended up with 7 very full bags of leaves.  I decided that I was going to use them as wind breaks in my garden as seen in the picture below.  This will help minimize the drifting of snow over my one bed.  In real bad snowstorms, the drifts can get pretty big.

My goal is to minimize the damage that snow can cause to soil.  It's an experiment and if you've read any of my other posts, I do favor a little experimentation in my gardening.  It keeps the juices rolling and the gardening fresh.  I will have to report back in the spring so we can see what all this labor has wrought.  All I have to do at this point, is sit back and wait.  If you have any questions regarding this, please feel free to leave a question and I will respond as soon as I can.  Happy gardening everyone.   

Winter is afoot

Well, maybe it's just starting actually.  I've been incredibly busy with the construction of our new front porch and handling a full time job.  Add to that a newly sodded front yard to attend to and you get the idea.  My time is very limited right now.  It can get stressful and I have done what most gardeners who do it for a hobby do - I have ignored my beds.  As I posted earlier though, the winter rye is in the beds and everything else has come to a stop.  I am still mulling winter crops but time is seemingly just slipping by.  So, my lack of attention to the gardens is my cheat to get through these demanding times.  As I write this, I am relaxing on a very subdued Sunday evening as result of a very hectic Halloween Saturday complete with a half day of work, some construction work on the front porch and some time hanging out with the neighbors and seeing all the kids in their costumes. Phew!! But it is all good as we really don't see the neighbors a lot as winter approaches so that was nice.
Here is a little proof that the gardens are doing just fine without my daily visits.

  

The two pictures on each side are the beds where the seeds were planted two weeks ago.  I took these pictures on the 25th so they are about a week old as of today.  Pretty good growth so far.  The center one is the new bed that had been planted three weeks ago.  The object here is not to get great growth above ground, but to get a solid root system in the ground.  We probably have about a month to go before we start seeing any snow so, with a little bit of fair weather, these plants will grow and spread their roots into the soils.
I have many projects to get accomplished before the snow flies so I will be giving these beds cursory attention.  I am sure they will be fine.  That's all I have to report at this time.  Happy Gardening everyone!