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!
posted by Amy at 9:40 PM
6 Comments:
Amy, you amaze me over and over again with your curiosity and your hobbies :) I can't wait to see your little garden. I can't even keep a plant in a pot alive for very long...we all know what THAT means!
Good luck with your first garden! now I know who to go to with questions about gardens :)
Victory Gardens!
(i'm reading a book about the history of community gardening, might be a point of interest to you.)
I'm trying to learn how to prune my trees too. I tripped across this and found it to be really straight-forward and helpful.
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/Spfo/pubs/howtos/ht_prune/prun001.htm
I am so glad you have found a passion. I feel that that is what I am lacking in my life right now and I am praying that God leads me to something soon.
You go girl!
Good luck, Amy! I wish I lived close enough to share your produce, because I'm sure it's going to be fabulous. Something about this time of year totally gives me the gardening bug, too... unfortunately, I currently live in an apartment, am moving to the desert for the summer, and then will most likely be in another apartment. Sigh.
You're inspiring! Thanks for sharing you joy here :)
P.S. I'm hoping to send your computer with Kayla this weekend. Wish we could come with her but we're going to start moving (did you know we're moving into Angela's old apartment across the street from Union Bank? :)
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