Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Innovation or Idiocy? Don't let your Relatives decide!

My husband and I are just a small part of a longstanding gardening tradition in our families. And to my husband vegetable gardens are a source of more than just vegetables. It's a connection to the past. At least that's my husbands idea. He lives by a very simple motto: Change is BAD!

So my wild idea of growing our vegetables in raised beds met with...Well...raised eyebrows.

My wild idea of not planting in straight rows met with Wild Skepticism.

My wild notion of using flowers mixed in with the vegetables to repel pests met with Wild Laughter.

And he wasn't alone. I've heard comments from all the "traditionalists". My Mom, My Dad, Aunts, Uncles. My mother thinks I'm a nut for planning on planting pole green beans. "Bush beans grow just fine and they don't need any support! Why go through the extra work?" Aesthetics? She just shakes her head. One relative even told me that I COULDN'T plant a garden without the help of a rototiller. I explained I didn't need one because I was using raised beds they answered, (like I was mentally impaired!) "Yes, dear, that's for your flowers. For a vegetable garden you need a rototiller." Eventually, I gave up and said, "I'll send you photos when I'm done."

There are many reasons why people don't like change. Many reasons why others are always looking for innovation. But I...I like the middle road. I am not trying something that is untested. I am not leading the way in gardening revolution. Neither am I bogged down in the "way it has always been". I am looking for my own gardening way.

I think that is how most gardener's do it these days. We read, we talk, we research, and we do it the way that we feel is the best way for our gardens.

10 comments:

Unknown said...

Aaww. You do whatever you want to do, CJ!
Matt and I are the innovators in our families too. It's not until you've proven your ideas are good and they see the benefits will they follow suit. That's ok. Every family needs leaders. -Jen :)

Unknown said...

Exactly right. You stick to your gardening guns, and do it how you like best. We're all different--that's why gardening is such a delightful pastime, and every garden is different. I think they'll be laughin' on the other side of their faces when things start to grow splendidly for you.

kris said...

I think your ideas sound great!! I love experimenting in the garden with new ideas and processes. good luck - it will be fun to see how your ideas turn out.

I adore your purple garden fork! I think I need one of those myself.

I was happy to read that your daughter has been diagnosed. I hope the search for the right meds etc goes smoothly. Give her a hug from me.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi CJ .. Ignore those skeptics. They haven't heard of "potager" gardening which has been around for a VERY long time .. let alone the ease and comfort of raised beds.
Stick to your "fork" girl and make them eat WEEDS !
Joy
... and have a nice day ! : )

WiseAcre said...

I think you need to replace the word wild with pratical, creative and aesthetic. I wouldn't trade my wife for anything but how about the two of you swapping gardens?

You may have to compromise like us and have a his and her garden. Just make sure your husband does all the heavy work. That way he can share the credit when the others see the merits of doing something new.

Anonymous said...

The most important thing is that you grow the vegetables! We all have different ways of doing that!

Unknown said...

Thanks everyone for being so supportive of my "WILD" ways! I am going to have fun proving myself to be a talented garden designer & hopefully a talented gardener too. Fingers crossed...

Wise Acre~Hubby can't wait to get to work on the veggie garden (much more so than on my flower gardens) but he still refuses to use my Purple Garden Fork! Men...LOL

The Diva said...

You hang onto your ideas. I did all those things, and I had a fabulous vegetable garden. Now, some of it is flowers, but I still don't grow veggies in straight rows.~~Dee

Dave said...

They must be behind the times if they've never heard of the benefits of raised bed gardens! Do the raised be gardens and show them how it's done. I did a post on the benefits a while back if you want to show them that! (shameless plug ;))

Charley "Apple" Grabowski said...

I'm going to have veggies this year but not a veggie garden. Mine are just going to fill in spaces in the beds I already have. I'm betting everything will taste just fine even if it didn't grow in the rows of my youth.