Well folks, it's that time. The harvesting is done, I'm in the process of tilling the garden, and making it winter ready. That being said, I have learned many things from having a garden this year. Some have come easily, others not so much. But here they are folks...
Top Ten things I've learned from being a first time gardener:
10. Mosquitoes like me. A lot. This is important. I have received more bug bites this year than the last 3 years combined. And I'm pretty sensitive to them, and have bad reactions. So, bugspray has been my best friend. Seriously. I should start buying it in gallons.
9. Have a good fence. Rabbits are smart. Learned this one the hard way. After several of my plants magically disappeared due to little bunnies. Check it continually, too, they are pretty crafty. A baby bunny got in there the other day (I have no idea how, current theory is that he grew wings and flew in) and husband spent 30 minutes trying to catch him and help him out.
8. It's okay to get dirty. In fact, expect it. I don't know why at the beginning of the summer that I could garden without getting hot, sweaty, dirty, and gross. I figured out pretty quickly that was totally dumb. It washes off anyway, so just dig in.
7. I need to get tough. And learn to build things. Take the
compost bin, for example. Every time I tried to build it, I'd work for 10 minutes, give up, and go whine to my husband. Then when I tried to finish the fence, I did the same thing. Only then did I realize I was going to have to suck it up, and get a bit tougher. So I stuck the fence out, and was able to finish it, and then I felt pretty good. I need to remember that.
6. Plant extras! This was a tough lesson learned when I had no green beens, hardly any lettuce, and no strawberries. I didn't plant a lot, because I was so afraid I would have a ridiculous amount of veggies, and then wouldn't know what to do with them. So, when plants didn't come up (or where eaten by rabbits) I was out of luck. So, it really is important to plan for the worst and plant extras, and that leads me into my next point...
5. Have a plan for your produce. Whether it's recipes, canning, selling them or giving them away, make a plan for your stuff so that it doesn't go bad. It's a waste of your time and effort if that happens. And then you feel crummy about letting your hard work go to waste. Just ask me.
4. Crabgrass is of the devil. No explanation needed. Just look at my pictures. It's
everywhere.
3. Hard Work does pay off. It really does feel good to get to the end, and see your hard work pay off with produce. And even before the end, when you set out to do something, and you accomplish it, the positive feelings are worth all of the effort.
2. There is always next year. When things haven't gone my way, this is what I've told myself. It's okay that everything didn't always work out perfectly, (only having one tiny green bean plant, for example.) It's okay. You can just try again next year. Next year, however, requires my number one fact about having a garden...
1. Patience is key. This is a very difficult one for me. I get really annoyed sometimes that the whole process isn't so much faster. I just need to suck it up and realize that time can be my friend. Really. It can.
So there you have it, folks!
I'm ready for round 2 next year.
♥
