Central Virginia Organic Gardener

"And 'tis my faith that every flower enjoys the air it breathes." - William Wordsworth, 1798

Monday, January 5, 2009

Gardener's Resolutions


Gardener’s Resolutions

(Caption: two cool garden gifts I was given this year! Floral enamelled trowel and hand fork from the Victoria and Albert Museum gift shop and a "Compost Happens" ball cap! Thank you Jeannie, Kristi and Joyce!)

I generally don’t make New Year’s resolutions, but I thought it would be fun to think about what I might change this year…and what I might not change. So here are the resolutions I would make, if I made any:

1. Garden at least as much as last year. This past year I was in the garden a lot, early and late on the hot days, for hours and hours on nice ones. I find that as I near 50, I have to garden in one hour increments, taking breaks to determine if I can still stand up straight and if my knees will work..
2. Plant some new greens. I love greens and planted a lot this year (lettuces, arugula, chard, mustards, kales, bok choy) in several waves. I hope to find some new and interesting greens to try- would love to hear your suggestions!
3. Continue my New Year’s Day tradition of going though all my seed catalogs and making my seed orders for the next year. Ones I usually order from: Pinetree Garden Seeds, Seeds of Change, Territorial Seeds and Totally Tomatoes (seed order entry coming soon!).
4. Suck it up and tear out a few beds that aren’t working. My herb bed has become “all oregano, all the time,” my day lily bed is “weeds ‘r us.”
5. Write the check to get the water garden installed. I have made several half-hearted attempts to dig it myself, but find it too daunting.
6. Really prune those fruit trees.
7. MUST SPRAY DORMANT OIL on the fruit trees! I always forget!
8. Maximize the use of my new cold frame.

Well, that’s enough to start with….I am sure the list could be many times longer, but I’d rather make it feasible!

Happy New Year and Happy gardening!

2 comments:

Anita said...

Judy, I love all the photos you include in your blog! And ofcourse...your info is informative and presented in a way that even a non-gardener can understand. If I keep reading, maybe I'll get the "bug" one day. Anita

Judy Thomas said...

Thanks Anita! I hope you do get the garden bug! Even if just in a little way...
Happy New Year!
judy