My partner convinced me to start a garden under the guise that he’d take care of it, since I have absolutely no experience gardening and can barely keep indoor plants alive, and neither of us realized what a time and energy investment it would be for me (I’m still guilt-tripping him about it, don’t worry), but all that is to say that even though I’m upset that my radishes got weird and I don’t know when to thin the carrots and I don’t like the mustard greens because they’re too bitter and they take up 50% of the garden, I really enjoy my stupid garden and my stupid ritual and stupid weeding and stupid cute butterflies that flit in and out and stupid yelling at the neighbor cat to get out of the kale. It’s been a lovely surprise to see flowers and dill that the previous tenants must have planted sprout up (and thrive, unlike the the dill I planted, which is crispy and sad), and now the parsley is finally coming up and there’s a big ass hatch chile waiting to be roasted, and ... sigh... I love my stupid, stupid garden.
My wife sent me a link this morning for apps to identify bird calls. I responded that it made me feel old. She just laughed. Then I went to check on the tomatoes and our flowers. Lol
Two thoughts lol: growing anything from seed is excruciating. One year my backyard grass got some disease and all the grass died overnight so we tried to reseed the grass. It’s easier to kill grass than it is to grow it lol. 2nd, just this year I was made aware of a device known as a weed flamethrower. It’s a torch attached to a small propane canister and you can just burn the weeds instead of having to pull them. Absolutely love it - so therapeutic lol.
Ok - gardening is really me time. I really love it and love planning, planting and watching. A few unsolicited thoughts from my gardening adventures...
Wild mint. It has to be dug back every year and will grow under and around everything. While the smell is pleasant, there is a good reason your garden is overgrown with it. I would make sure to dig out significant amounts a couple of times a year to keep it in check. Don’t worry, if you blink it will again be overgrown...
We had a massive garden in Ipswich, Ma where I did years of stonework (about 100 yards of stone walls and 3000 cobblestones, 1500 bulbs, 30 peonies and much, much more) that we walked away from last year. Now we have two places in Maine with 0 gardens and trying to figure out how/if to start.
I use the Picture this app to do an ID on all the plants in my yard - to get an idea of what is native, what is a friendly foreigner and what will need to be dig out relentlessly or else it will invade all areas of the garden. Two different stores for me - Our house next to Acadia National Park has lots of invasive, including killer thistles that will invade, the western Lupines everyone thinks are native that have only been in Maine maybe 70 years and extirpated the native Lupines and invasive sedges, etc. I’m taking the approach of eliminating the ones most invasive (thistle) and maybe just letting the Lupine stay here, as it is everywhere on the island and in the park. I have played a couple of things I know how to deal with like irises and Peonies - as I love them both and they tend to be fine with little maintenance once in.
In Carrabassett Valley, everything I have checked has been native so far. I find this hard to believe and maybe it is - maybe they have not yet come up. The goal here is to do no harm and not introduce invasive stuff, which is harder to do then one would think. I may start with seeding natives and plants I know. I tend to research everything I plant, as that pretty plant or seed package can easily turn into a monster you didn’t know you were inviting over.
Beware any foreign soil - as it will have seed in it that could be invasive - especially if it is compost soil from off your land... This is how all this stuff gets out there. I also suspect many of the invasive sun our Bar Harbor yard came from the “contractor seed Mix” they threw down without asking after putting in the septic system - per town laws. If that area is indicative of it - it was just a big mix of invasive crap that will do the job of covering the ground - no matter the soil - but leaves the owner with 50 years of trying to undo one seeding.
I hope you enjoy gardening. It is a great way to reflect, find peace and be one with the dirt (earth).
I feel sincerely uplifted by this. I'm over here wanting to do something similar (with zero experience) and feeling very overwhelmed and frozen. This gives me much hope!
Looking good - way to go Cousin Jess! Helping and inspiring you. And it's so nice to have a design project outdoors. The hours we spend in our gardens have been so rewarding! I discovered the power of being in the dirt, crating space to relax in, feed the birds, the butterflies, the bees etc. keeps me in touch with our environment that we need to hold tight and nourish now more than ever. I too discovered how much I enjoyed a garden once I had found a place where I felt my own roots going deep. Well done - AGAIN!
My partner convinced me to start a garden under the guise that he’d take care of it, since I have absolutely no experience gardening and can barely keep indoor plants alive, and neither of us realized what a time and energy investment it would be for me (I’m still guilt-tripping him about it, don’t worry), but all that is to say that even though I’m upset that my radishes got weird and I don’t know when to thin the carrots and I don’t like the mustard greens because they’re too bitter and they take up 50% of the garden, I really enjoy my stupid garden and my stupid ritual and stupid weeding and stupid cute butterflies that flit in and out and stupid yelling at the neighbor cat to get out of the kale. It’s been a lovely surprise to see flowers and dill that the previous tenants must have planted sprout up (and thrive, unlike the the dill I planted, which is crispy and sad), and now the parsley is finally coming up and there’s a big ass hatch chile waiting to be roasted, and ... sigh... I love my stupid, stupid garden.
"I really enjoy my stupid garden" is my new bumper sticker
Nothing like fresh herbs for cooking.
That’s the highlight of the garden so far for sure! Got some yummy chives and thyme and rosemary going, too.
Gardening and birdwatching: eventually they come for us all!
My wife sent me a link this morning for apps to identify bird calls. I responded that it made me feel old. She just laughed. Then I went to check on the tomatoes and our flowers. Lol
and early, if we're lucky!
For me, the joy of knowing I won't be moving (after 25 years of moving every 2-3 years) is PERENNIALS.
This is my 2nd summer with my garden and already I am in awe of how much a perennial grows down in order to grow up and out.
I can't wait to see what you think next year and the year after!!
I'm so happy we went with a bunch of perennials — excited to experience the joy of it!
Two thoughts lol: growing anything from seed is excruciating. One year my backyard grass got some disease and all the grass died overnight so we tried to reseed the grass. It’s easier to kill grass than it is to grow it lol. 2nd, just this year I was made aware of a device known as a weed flamethrower. It’s a torch attached to a small propane canister and you can just burn the weeds instead of having to pull them. Absolutely love it - so therapeutic lol.
OMG. A weed flamethrower! I really needed that when I lived in Texas. The weeds here in TN aren’t quite as awful.
Ok - gardening is really me time. I really love it and love planning, planting and watching. A few unsolicited thoughts from my gardening adventures...
Wild mint. It has to be dug back every year and will grow under and around everything. While the smell is pleasant, there is a good reason your garden is overgrown with it. I would make sure to dig out significant amounts a couple of times a year to keep it in check. Don’t worry, if you blink it will again be overgrown...
We had a massive garden in Ipswich, Ma where I did years of stonework (about 100 yards of stone walls and 3000 cobblestones, 1500 bulbs, 30 peonies and much, much more) that we walked away from last year. Now we have two places in Maine with 0 gardens and trying to figure out how/if to start.
I use the Picture this app to do an ID on all the plants in my yard - to get an idea of what is native, what is a friendly foreigner and what will need to be dig out relentlessly or else it will invade all areas of the garden. Two different stores for me - Our house next to Acadia National Park has lots of invasive, including killer thistles that will invade, the western Lupines everyone thinks are native that have only been in Maine maybe 70 years and extirpated the native Lupines and invasive sedges, etc. I’m taking the approach of eliminating the ones most invasive (thistle) and maybe just letting the Lupine stay here, as it is everywhere on the island and in the park. I have played a couple of things I know how to deal with like irises and Peonies - as I love them both and they tend to be fine with little maintenance once in.
In Carrabassett Valley, everything I have checked has been native so far. I find this hard to believe and maybe it is - maybe they have not yet come up. The goal here is to do no harm and not introduce invasive stuff, which is harder to do then one would think. I may start with seeding natives and plants I know. I tend to research everything I plant, as that pretty plant or seed package can easily turn into a monster you didn’t know you were inviting over.
Beware any foreign soil - as it will have seed in it that could be invasive - especially if it is compost soil from off your land... This is how all this stuff gets out there. I also suspect many of the invasive sun our Bar Harbor yard came from the “contractor seed Mix” they threw down without asking after putting in the septic system - per town laws. If that area is indicative of it - it was just a big mix of invasive crap that will do the job of covering the ground - no matter the soil - but leaves the owner with 50 years of trying to undo one seeding.
I hope you enjoy gardening. It is a great way to reflect, find peace and be one with the dirt (earth).
Loved this! And yes, whew, the mint. We've already dug out so much! She is a badgering beauty.
Gardener’s World on Friday nights is my ASMR.
35 seasons!!! Where do you watch it?
Amazon, I spring for the channel it is on. Each episode is a week of the growing season!
Nice! I am excited to see it. Hopefully we can find some local ecosystems on hikes that we can work to replicate on the property.
Would love that!
I feel sincerely uplifted by this. I'm over here wanting to do something similar (with zero experience) and feeling very overwhelmed and frozen. This gives me much hope!
It was honestly so much easier than I ever anticipated to start. I think the hard part is that it never ends 😂
Looking good - way to go Cousin Jess! Helping and inspiring you. And it's so nice to have a design project outdoors. The hours we spend in our gardens have been so rewarding! I discovered the power of being in the dirt, crating space to relax in, feed the birds, the butterflies, the bees etc. keeps me in touch with our environment that we need to hold tight and nourish now more than ever. I too discovered how much I enjoyed a garden once I had found a place where I felt my own roots going deep. Well done - AGAIN!
Thanks, LT!