The Best Gardening Advice EVER!

When I was new at gardening I went to a meeting of my garden club distraught because all of these really lovely ladies had extremely lovely gardens...and I had just killed yet another unlucky plant! "What did I do wrong?" I cried. I received lots of gardening advice (which I avidly listened to and then promptly forgot). As the meeting neared it's end a short, cute, elderly woman grabbed hold of my arm. Margaret then proceded to give me the best gardening advice EVER! She said,

"You're a Mom and a Gardener

and you want to be successful at both.

But sometimes you are going to fail.

Which one would you prefer to fail at?"

It was like a weight had been lifted off of me! So what if I couldn't raise flowers and children at the same time. My children were my number one priority and the pretty flowers were just decoration for my children's world. As soon as I let go of the "need to succeed" I became pretty successful. Oh, I still have my weak spots...seeds and the unknown veggie garden but I became much more able to absorb the gardening do's and don'ts. Why is that~I wondered? I think it's because I realized that I didn't need to make a magazine-beautiful garden to be a "true" gardener. Instead, I just had to plant a garden that made me and my loved ones happy. And as we turn our attention to our "First Ever Veggie Garden Spectacular" (okay giving it a fancy name makes the kids get excited about veggies...and the hubby too!) we need a clear cut guide of when and what to do. Leave it to Storey's for yet another pearl of gardening wisdom.

Hardy

Plant as soon as ground

can be prepared

asparagus

beets

broccoli

cabbage

carrots

chard

kale

lettuce

onions

parsnips

peas

raishes

spinach

turnips

Semi-Hardy

Plant 1 to 2 weeks before

average date of last frost

cauliflower

potatoes

Tender

Plant on or just after

average date of last frost

New Zealand spinach
snap beans

sweet corn

tomatoes

Very Tender

Plant 2 weeks after

average date of last frost

cucumber

eggplant

lima beans

muskmelon

peppers

pumpkins

squash

watermelon


I'm certainly not growing all of these crops on my first attempt but at least I've got a good "guideline" as to what I should be doing...and when I should do it!
Now if it would only stop snowing...

Dirt + Water + Seeds = 3 Smiley Faces

There is magic in the ...DIRT? Yeah! The Jiffy Peat Pellets may be an excellent way to start seeds but if your looking to get your kids hooked on gardening then "inflatable dirt" may be the best money ever spent! It was an awesome science experiment and a weird wonder of the world all at the same time. We got our hands a little dirty. Everyone had a part to play. The youngest (AKA: Wild Child) was in charge of placing the dry pellets into the tray. The middle child (AKA: Bear) added the water. And the oldest (AKA: Garden Girl) planted the seeds. You gotta love teamwork. BTW, if your wondering what I did...jeez...I dunno! What fun we had.

We got a good start today but we need more pellets. If it stops snowing I might run out tomorrow and get some. If I have time and energy. Why would I be running low on time and energy? Well...because today, before we could plant seeds, we needed to make a trip to Urgent Care. Given recent events you might be thinking that Garden Girl had given us another scare but you'd be wrong. No this time it was Bear and after a chest x-ray and some swabbing the doc determined that he has the flu. That's just what I needed! Upon coming home I took the temps of the girls and yes they have it too. Given Garden Girl's condition we need to keep her from having even a slightly above normal temperature as this can trigger another seizure. Like I wasn't worried before! Motrin, Tylenol, Thermometers, and Caffeine are my friends! And as long as I'm talking about friends:

To all of you who have been so wonderful and supportive,

Who have sent your best wishes and your prayers,

Who have given us your friendship during troubled times,

Thank You!