My little backyard garden called my name the other day as I walked to the rear to feed the birds.
“Plant me,” it said.
Not yet, little garden, not yet.
One of the most enjoyable things I do – next to playing golf and penciling in a 3 on a par 4 hole, which seldom happens – is planting and tending to my garden. My garden is just the right size – any larger and it would be work, not fun, and any smaller and I would go nuts trying to decide which veggies to omit. I’m happy at the end of the season if I can pluck just a few red ripe-ripe tomatoes and gather enough lettuce for a salad, but I generally do much better. Last year, for example, I had a bumper crop of okra and cukes aplenty, plus lots of tomatoes, squash, and beets.
Perhaps the hardest part for a backyard gardener is to refrain from buying more seeds than you can possibly plant. I do it every year. Planning helps, but can’t prevent that last minute urge to put a couple more plants in your shopping cart or buying some interesting looking seeds you’d like to experiment with.
Often, folks think they don’t have enough room or not enough time for a little garden. But there’s really no excuse. Even if it’s just a few tomato plants, you can put them in a wooden box or even a heavy duty plastic growing bag, and move them towards the best sun. The joy of gardening is seeing that first seedling sprout. It’s like watching a sunrise on the ocean. It’s a time to celebrate.
This year plant a garden, no matter how small. Enjoy playing in the dirt and then really enjoy it by eating the freshest of vegetables.