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The inefficient gardener

Posted on May 29th, 2007 – 1:04 PM
By Jaime Chismar

Sitting at my desk Tuesday morning is rather uncomfortable. My back is stiff. My legs are sore.

I dug out a dozen paver bricks from the front yard. I yanked up hundreds of thistle. I transplanted some seedlings and a struggling clematis. I mixed dirt with peat moss and compost.

I worked in the yard all weekend, but only a few pepper and tomato plants actually made it into the ground. Two garden beds sit empty. Seed packets cover my dinning room table. Four bags of seed potatoes (yes, the same seed potatoes Robyn gave me a MONTH ago) wait patiently in the corner.

seeds.jpgUnplanted seeds

seedlings.jpgUnplanted seedlings

I promised myself, I’d have everything planted by the end of May. I try to knock off a little each day, but I still fall behind. At this rate, I’ll be planting in July.

Is your garden all set for the growing season? How do you keep up with all your gardening to-dos?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 29th, 2007 at 1:04 pm and is filed under Weekend to-dos. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

16 Responses to "The inefficient gardener"

permafrog says:

May 29th, 2007 at 1:11 pm

My zone 3 garden is far from being ready. It’s too early to plant out but I’d still trying to decide what to plant in a new bed that I plan on putting in this year.

poverty says:

May 29th, 2007 at 3:25 pm

We’re already pulling carrots and greens for salads, and our peas are a good 4′-5′ tall with a few white flowers ready to turn into pods.

We just put a bunch of tomatoes in the ground, some peppers in pots, and planted marigolds and bogonias (all seedlings purchased from the nursery or gifted from friends). We have some more sunflower seedlings almost ready to go in the ground, and some pepper seedlings from the plants I grew last summer in Minneapolis that s

Not sure how to keep up with it all…if we don’t pull morning glories at least every other day, they’re all over the place. They seem to sprout fully formed from the dirt (I call them the zombies of the Plant Kingdom). Plus, even out here in rainy Seattle, the tomatoes will wilt if we don’t keep an eye on them.

It helps to have a partner eager to get me to start referring to it as ‘our garden’ and not ‘my garden.’

Jaime Chismar says:

May 29th, 2007 at 3:45 pm

Like you, I am vexed by volunteer morning glories. They are so like zombies. You kill one and three more show up. I also love volunteer sunflowers. Unfortunately, the rabbits found mine Sunday morning. Argh!

I was in Seattle last fall and I was totally taken aback at the variety of local produce available at the farmers markets so late in the season. No wonder you have carrots already!

Connie Nelson says:

May 29th, 2007 at 4:16 pm

I don’t even try to be an efficient gardener anymore. I think it’s a northern gardener’s curse to even try. I used to throw myself into it and be exhausted by the middle of June. Now I just kinda ease into it. I plant stuff when I can, sometimes not ’till the middle of summer. (You can find great deals at some of the garden centers then . . .) I weed when I have time. And my garden looks like it looks. It’s not magazine quality, but then I’m not cranky and tired all spring either.
I try to take the Zen approach to gardening and enjoy the process as well as the end results.
Sometimes it even works!

shruti says:

May 29th, 2007 at 4:17 pm

This makes me happy because I was thrilled that I managed to get one pot of my herbs planted. I realized I needed another pot, by the time I got to the store and back it was time to go someplace else, then I got sick and then work got busy, etc. etc. and three weeks later I still have seedlings, half a bag of potting soil and an empty pot.
I intend to finish it tomorrow since I don’t work until 2, unless i get lured by the siren call of the beach.

MicheleStM says:

May 29th, 2007 at 7:56 pm

I’m so glad to hear that I’m not the only one! I had emergency surgery at the end of April and my DH was so busy trying to visit me and take care of our two kids that he let a bunch of the seedlings we were growing under lights die. We are still debating whether to grow more. I think we will, since with perennials you know they’ll (hopefully) be back next year.

All we’ve done is a small veggie & herb garden and a start on our shade garden. We are starting from scratch (just moved in last summer, and are still getting rid of shrubs in the sunny front yard) and trying to take the multi-year approach. I itch to get in the dirt but have to let my DH do it for about another month, while I recover.

Judybusy says:

May 30th, 2007 at 8:24 am

I am purposefully NOT planting all my areas this year. I had to re-do a large patch of my main perennial bed, and am going to be making a very small rock garden. This weekend. I swear! I will then faithfully weed it this summer and plant next spring. I am waiting til next year because I have exhausted our garden budget and I want something to look forward to.

In the past few years I have also re-sodded parts of my back yard–I know, a grave sin–but I just wasn’t keeping up with all the work. Also, to be honest, the yard is much more usable now, with an improved design.

Tracy says:

May 30th, 2007 at 10:03 am

I know exactly how you feel. I had planned to get everything done over the long weekend, but ended up taking Tuesday afternoon off to plant the tomatoes and beans. Even then, I didn’t get it all done - my peppers are still waiting for me. And until that’s done, I’m not even going to start on the perennials - those will just have to wait until I get there. I like Connie’s zen approach - the garden is what it is.

Nan says:

May 30th, 2007 at 12:41 pm

My once lovely shade garden, taking up the whole back yard, is giving itself over to a more sunny environment due to the gradual loss of one mature oak tree a year. Faced with getting all those hosta and shade loving plants moved last fall, I’m now trying to formulate a plan for the new sunny part and stick to it. After reading the posts, a Rock Garden plan has taken root in my mind. Thanks for the idea! Would it be alright to bury that stump with rocks and soil and go from there?

Jaime Chismar says:

May 30th, 2007 at 2:00 pm

Nan, I’m so sorry about your oaks. How frustrating it must have been to dig up and replant everything.

My succulent garden is really an experiement with plants and rocks. When you get a chance, swing by the public library and get a few books on Japanese gardens. They blend rocks and plants together seamlessly. It’s a great way to get ideas for your own rock garden.

I don’t know much about stump removal (I’ll ask Connie to weigh in on this one), however succulents do have pretty shallow root systems.

Peter Hoh says:

May 30th, 2007 at 5:16 pm

If you cover the stump and leave its larger roots in the ground, you are likely to have mushrooms popping up for the next decade or so.

Cara says:

May 31st, 2007 at 8:48 am

The rabbits keep eating my swiss chard plants. I had 4, one official was eaten down to ntohing. The other 3 are chewed downt to the nubbins, yet my butter lettuce keeps getting ignored. I feel like I have been a very efficent rabbit treat grower.

Chris says:

May 31st, 2007 at 10:26 am

Well, I learned something new. Cocoa bean mulch = great treat for squirrels. Our fearless dog has been working overtime. Other than that, we prioritized back yard landscaping and the small garden patch, which are nearly done. I’ve got a bunch of Irish moss and mother-of-thyme that needs to go in, but I can’t do that until I buy more stone for the walkway. That will happen at some point, I’m sure. Our trick is to reduce the to-do list. Next year, though…

Everything else is doing what it’s going to do, and we actually ate a great salad last night of arugula and butter lettuce. Say, what happens when arugula sprouts a flower? Anyone know?

Jaime Chismar says:

May 31st, 2007 at 11:01 am

Oh, Chris… Flowers are the tell tale sign of bolt. Greens like it cool. When arugula gets too hot, it sends up shoots with little flowers. A few days later, the leaves will turn very, very bitter (I learned this the hard way last year). Now would be a good time to rip out the flowering plants and re-seed. As the weather gets warmer, you may want to consider planting greens in partial shade.

Jaime Chismar says:

May 31st, 2007 at 11:09 am

Cara… I’m sorry about your chard. Contrary to all the Saturday morning cartoons, rabbits aren’t all about carrots. In my garden, the rabbits actually prefer chard, spinach, and sunflowers to root veggies. Luckily, chard will happily grow in a medium/large container. With yellow, red and white stems, it makes quite an attractive addition to your patio or deck. Let us know if you replant!

Chris says:

June 1st, 2007 at 8:27 am

GAH! And it was so tasty just the other day. Ah well. Lots of little seedlings sprouting, so I can get my greens elsewhere. Stupid nature. Stupid cycle of life! Thanks, Jaime. Stop by the yard anytime.

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