The Artistic Garden

It’s been over a week and though I visit my garden every day to tend to my ducks; chickens and rabbits, I haven’t gotten started with the garden yet. It’s a hot mess. I figure I need to get out there around 6am to beat the heat of the day and try to finish up by 9:30am.

One motto I firmly believe in is that it is never too late to start a garden. I live in zone 7b where kitchen gardening activity generally starts around mid April. If you have a greenhouse or a place to start your seeds indoors you can begin seeds in February and March. I started some seeds but I never got the garden ready for the transplants so my goal is to plan a fall garden, focusing on cold hardy plants like beats, carrots, broccoli, lettuce, chard and maybe some fast growing summer crops like zucchini and bush beans.

One thing I’m definitely going to change is my focus from fruits and vegetables to flowers and herbs. I’m hoping that this will require less work. My overall goal for the garden was to grow anti-inflammatory foods to help me with managing Rheumatoid Arthritis; but the work of processing fruits and fighting pests organically is overwhelming. There are days I just can’t stay out there to manage things. I’m hoping a flower and herb focused garden will be less stressful. With this I can still grow anti-inflammatory herbs and edible flowers that are more pest resistant and perennial.

Last year’s garden was beautiful and abundant. It was my first time growing amaranth, sunflowers, and zinnias; however, the constant battle with squash bugs and cucumber beetles on my veggies left me exhausted. I’m hoping that this new focus will allow me to enjoy my garden more, with less stress and more time to appreciate the beauty and wildlife it attracts. It’s all about finding balance.

Anyway, let’s see what these changes will yield. I’ve already purchased new steel garden boxes, lots of shade cloth and new seeds; so, hopefully, I’ll be ready for my first garden reveal next week.

I look forward to your comments.