stay curious

i have a deck of cards entitled "52 ways to make a difference." i hadn't looked at them in a very long time and this weekend decided to flip through them. one of them said, "stay curious," and had a picture of a book on the front with the title "Organic Gardening." this made me happy because my newest curiousity i've been exploring is, in fact, organic gardening.

i bought two books on gardening and vegetables in barnes and noble (one specifically for the midwest, and one vegetable-specific) and then went to the library and checked out four more: two on organic gardening and two on gardening tips and tricks. the two i have read and loved so far are Eat More Dirt: Diverting and Instructive Tips for Growing and Tending an Organic Garden by Ellen Sandbeck, and Weedless Gardening by Lee Reich. both of them had just the information i was looking for--especially Weedless Gardening. now all i have to do is plan my garden (location, dimensions, and contents), find a large pile of newspaper, get a large pile of compost, and get planting.

it feels so wonderful to me to be reading non-fiction books that i'm actually interested in. i've tried to read histories before, but they don't hold my attention. this i can grasp. this i can remember. this i can use.

i now want to get a pruning book and a book on weeds and what they can tell you about your soil. i want to be knowledgeable in this area. i wish i had taken my groundskeeping job more seriously and taken the time to learn more of this when i could have put it to better use than in just my yard.

one of the sad tips i've come across is that black walnut trees make the soil around them sterile and inhibit the growth of most other plants. i have probably half a dozen of them in my backyard. drat.

my garden will probably be modest this year, though i'd like it to be huge. being a beginner i need to start small. i'm most excited to have a salad garden of lettuce and fresh herbs. yum.

i only hope i can follow through with my plans. that's always the rub. wish me luck!