After facing trying circumstances over the past year, including repressed traumatic memories, the author recalibrates her garden and homesteading capacity.
This weekend is when I need to start planting my tomatoes and so many other things in the polytunnels and get the summer beans going. Lots to do. I do love peas though so my first sowing is also being planted tomorrow. I am just hoping the forecast temperature drop next week will not be too severe! Gardening has always been my solace when I was working horrible jobs. Now I work for myself and it's not as bad, but it is still valuae quiet time.
Thanks for sharing your story about your family - this political climate is insane and no one should be fired for their views.
Would love to learn more about the move and adjustment from city to rural town. We’re considering doing something similar. If you’ve written about it before as well, would love to read about it.
What an excellent update. I'm glad you've got back into your garden after so much hardship. I'm trying to keep things simple in mine this year, because I don't want to add to my list of apparent failures. I've got some little tomato, cucumber, lettuce, and pea seedlings that I've grown from seed. I still need to build a raised bed for some of it to go in. The rest is pots. We have very claggy soil.
When you know what you don't have to do, and can do what you want, the sun is coming up.
Cool garden. Looks like a good place to grow roots.
Maybe wire up some electric fence grid if you want to have melons of any kind. That's our cheapest, mobile solution after we stopped getting free, stray dogs. To have lettuce and beans at weedom the wire goes right over the newly planted row, and we raise it as the plants grow. zzzzt!! Melons always needed a grid.
My gardening friend convinced me to plant fruit trees. I had a new strip tilled on either end of the garden. My favorite nursery, Raintree, had a buy one get one free sale. I bought nine trees, and had two in the ground. I've worked in commercial orchards and have the "Grow a Little Fruit Tree" book to remind me of what I am doing. No spring crops as the weather was crazy and I still haven't put together the cold frame I bought two years ago. Will plant the beds for summer when I get the last three trees in. At 75, I have learned that you can't do what you want some times. Just plant the vegetables you enjoy growing, collards in my case. You can't go wrong with chard and the golden variety is beautiful. Buy the sourdough, buy the starts. You can maybe pick it up another time. Enjoy settling in. It will be a good year.
I'm only growing the red potato onions this year, because the deer don't eat them (yay for plants the deer don't eat). And because I need to change how I garden. I'm getting older and need to grow fewer beds with more space between them. And I probably need to transition to raised beds as well.
Where are you with gardening—and homesteading—and life—this spring?
This weekend is when I need to start planting my tomatoes and so many other things in the polytunnels and get the summer beans going. Lots to do. I do love peas though so my first sowing is also being planted tomorrow. I am just hoping the forecast temperature drop next week will not be too severe! Gardening has always been my solace when I was working horrible jobs. Now I work for myself and it's not as bad, but it is still valuae quiet time.
Me, too. Gardening helped me survive the stress of COVID. Good luck with the tomatoes and peas.
Thanks for sharing your story about your family - this political climate is insane and no one should be fired for their views.
Would love to learn more about the move and adjustment from city to rural town. We’re considering doing something similar. If you’ve written about it before as well, would love to read about it.
You’re welcome, and thank you for the commiseration.
No regrets about moving except that we didn’t do it sooner.
We actually tried this once before, bit of a circuitous route, which you can read about here. I’ll get you some links.
https://brunettegardens.substack.com/p/city-mouse-gets-a-country-house?r=1n113r&utm_medium=ios
https://brunettegardens.substack.com/p/once-more-to-a-small-town?r=1n113r&utm_medium=ios
What an excellent update. I'm glad you've got back into your garden after so much hardship. I'm trying to keep things simple in mine this year, because I don't want to add to my list of apparent failures. I've got some little tomato, cucumber, lettuce, and pea seedlings that I've grown from seed. I still need to build a raised bed for some of it to go in. The rest is pots. We have very claggy soil.
Thank you so much, and best of luck. Failure is built into gardening, but so is surprising success.
Keep going, and keep growing. What you sow, you will reap. Nourishment for the spirit.
I couldn't agree more!
When you know what you don't have to do, and can do what you want, the sun is coming up.
Cool garden. Looks like a good place to grow roots.
Maybe wire up some electric fence grid if you want to have melons of any kind. That's our cheapest, mobile solution after we stopped getting free, stray dogs. To have lettuce and beans at weedom the wire goes right over the newly planted row, and we raise it as the plants grow. zzzzt!! Melons always needed a grid.
I'm seeing neon, electrified melons now!
🤣
Back in the day, we drilled a hole in the watermelon and upended a vodka bottle…….
LOL, I did that once, on a beach in the Florida Keys. I think we threw some to the seagulls, too.
baaaaaad 😎
I must be the only person in the world who cant grow zucchini
LOL
My gardening friend convinced me to plant fruit trees. I had a new strip tilled on either end of the garden. My favorite nursery, Raintree, had a buy one get one free sale. I bought nine trees, and had two in the ground. I've worked in commercial orchards and have the "Grow a Little Fruit Tree" book to remind me of what I am doing. No spring crops as the weather was crazy and I still haven't put together the cold frame I bought two years ago. Will plant the beds for summer when I get the last three trees in. At 75, I have learned that you can't do what you want some times. Just plant the vegetables you enjoy growing, collards in my case. You can't go wrong with chard and the golden variety is beautiful. Buy the sourdough, buy the starts. You can maybe pick it up another time. Enjoy settling in. It will be a good year.
I like that. Thank you so much. I wish you all the best with your fruit trees--nine is a lot, but it's also a sacred number, I believe.
I had shingles last year and was frustrated in dealing with my first garden here. It's always something!
I once had oral shingles. It is not a nice experience no matter where you get it.
I'm only growing the red potato onions this year, because the deer don't eat them (yay for plants the deer don't eat). And because I need to change how I garden. I'm getting older and need to grow fewer beds with more space between them. And I probably need to transition to raised beds as well.
I wish you well in that transition! I’m dueling with rabbits for the ground plants, but so far the raised beds have eluded them.