If I could live in a garden I would….

If I could live in a garden I would….

Become as cool as a cucumber
Sweet as a ripe strawberry
Creative as a squash vine
Gentle as a swallowtail butterfly
Strong as the earth
Flexible as a bullfrog
Grateful as a sunbathing turtle
Clever as a chipmunk
Courageous as a crow
Trusting as a seed
Passionate as the sun
Happy as a gardening mom

​
​

​3 KEYS TO ENJOYING FAMILY GARDENING
 
“Mom”, said Noah, now 18 years old.
“Are you going to plant a garden at our new house?”
“Yes, of course!” I replied.
“Please don’t plant anything that takes over the yard like Mint, ok?”
Oh the Mint! From a small sprig to enough mint to serve tea to a nation!
 
I love that he understands the growing properties of Mint. 
That comment alone reminds me of what a valuable 
adventure our family garden has been.
 
More than thirty years of family gardening 
​has taught us a few things!

​
KEY #1 Let go of perfection
I love garden design. Every year we’d choose which vegetables, fruits, flowers and herbs to plant and where. I’d hold an image in my mind’s eye of a perfectly manicured, mulched garden with white stone paths and weed free beds.

Every year the garden would take on a life of it’s own.

One year our tomato plants were mysteriously disappearing one by one. My boys began to investigate and discovered a whole world of chipmunk tunnels underneath that garden bed!
The chipmunks were pulling the tomato plants down by the roots and having a feast!
That bed became a very creative digging playground. No tomatoes that year.
And oh yes, the mint sprouted up wherever it pleased!
 
 
KEY #2 Expect Disappointments and Surprises
We’ve learned that Nature doesn’t disappoint, but rather, she always provides exactly what we need. One year, frequent rainstorms washed away our carefully planted carrot seeds three times.
But the strawberries and blackberries were prolific!  Another year, a squash plant started to grow in the lettuce bed. It happened to be a year when we were taking a break from planting squash for space reasons.

​The squash seed was most likely dropped by a bird. We decided to accept this plant as a gift from a garden friend. Our whole garden revolved around that growing squash plant. We transplanted the greens to another bed and carefully stepped over the squash vines as they sprawled the length and width of the garden. That one extremely healthy squash plant produced dozens of delicious squash! Thank you garden friend!
 
 
KEY #3 Start Small
One small 3ft by 6ft garden bed or patch can provide a good amount of delicious produce.
I learned through experience that having three young children,10 garden beds, an herb garden,
a fruit orchard and numerous perennials was a lot to care for!

I love gardening. However, a small garden patch is just as much fun!
And that’s the idea, isn’t it?
 
And yes Noah, if we plant Mint let’s plant it in a garden pot!
 
Please leave a comment! 
I’d love to hear how you’d finish the sentence….
If I could live in a garden I would….

Thank you for stopping by. 
I wish you many enjoyable gardening adventures.

If you enjoyed this blog, please share with your friends.

Deborah