Gardening resolutions of 2004 - cute!

20 years ago

A little blurb that appeared in our local town newspaper. Thought this was cute and would like to share it with everyone.

Gardening resolutions for 2004:

I will not order more seeds than can resonably fit under the grow lights.

I will only buy plants I know I have a place for.

I will resist the temptation to buy plants that survive only in damp acidic soil in full sun.

I will know what I am going to plant before I dig up more lawn.

I will plant plants promptly and I will not leave them sitting in pots all summer.

I will wash and bleach plant pots immediately after emptying them, rather than spending the entire month of december doing it or leaving them for my partner to clean.

I will stake plants, ideally before they fall down.

I will pull excess self seeded Feverfew, Forget me nots, Nicotiana, Violets, Cleome, California poppies and Rudbeckia before they overtake the garden.

I will not feel compelled to plant or replant every seedling or root. I know that this will have no effect on starving gardens in the third world.

I will weed more. Really.

I will turn the compost more.

I will build the stone walls that I have been meaning to build for the last three years.

I will clean tools after I use them.

I will put tools away in their proper place after I clean them and after using them.

I will properly store and label any seeds that I collect. I will not leave them in a basket in the shed for the resident squirrel.

I will hill up my roses next fall - if any survive the winter. And if any do survive, I will remember to stop and smell them next summer - if the deer haven't eaten them first.

Comments (4)

angelflower_LB
20 years ago
I love it! The only resolution I have kept this year is to weed on a regular basis. When talking to my sister who lives in Ky, I pull weeds for ten minutes or so. This does not get them all at once, but I do it almost everyday.

Cleaning and putting away the garden tools didn't last through January.

Thanks for sharing.
clfo
20 years ago
I DONÂT love it. And the reason I donÂt like it is that it encourages people to feel badly when they let something die, donÂt plan ahead, or get carried away or overly enthusiastic about their plants. I would rewrite it as the following:

I will enjoy the potential every seed holds, and IÂll take pleasure in the abundance they represent.
I will be excited about the new plants I see, and will make a space for them in the garden, even when I need to rework to make a place for them.
I will take chances, and push the limits, knowing that sometimes plants survive against all odds..
I will be willing to start down a path without knowing where that path is leading.
If I donÂt get everything in the ground, I wonÂt beat myself up about it; I will instead be grateful that I am not depending on these plants to provide my winterÂs food. ArenÂt I lucky to be able to grow plants for their beauty and interest!
If I forget to bleach my pots, whatÂs the worst that can happen? Seedlings will die. This should be the worst that happens.
I will accept that some plants flop. If they fall over, IÂll cut them and put the blooms in a vase indoors, and celebrate my bouquets.
I will enjoy the self-seeded flowers (although I WILL edit them where needed) and be willing to be surprised by something I have not created. I will enjoy Mother NatureÂs designs as much as my own.
I will be thankful for every plant in my gardens: weeds and precious flowers.
I will admit that compost happens, whether I turn it or not; who's in a hurry? Organic matter will rot, and I'm grateful for that.
I will admit that my dusty or dirty tools donÂt fall apart because of the dust or dirt. I wish that the "cleanliness is next to Godliness" folks would get over it already!
IÂll find the proper tool when I need it, or IÂll make do with something else.
If I donÂt get the seeds labeled and stored, I will once again appreciate that IÂm not depending on these seeds to support my family through the coming year.
I will take pleasure in what IÂm able to do in the garden, and will appreciate it JUST AS IT IS. I will enjoy the present moment and the treasures that grow all around me.
I WILL expect weeds, be willing to be surprised, say thankyou, and pay attention.
C.L.
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pkock
20 years ago
What I find interesting is seeing multiple approaches and opinions about gardening. Some like things neat and orderly, and others enjoy surprises. What one gardener thinks is silly, another finds crucial, and vice versa.

I recently read one "garden expert" who swears by mulch as a garden's best friend (admitting that not all mulch is equal!). And I also read "Passionate Gardening" in which mulch is decried as an evil entity; nature does not mulch, after all.

Do you let things self-seed or zealously retrieve seed pods before they scatter their bounty? Should you? Is your garden art, science, or a random miracle? At what point is it permissible to use chemical weed or pest control? Fertilizer or compost?

Seems it's all a very personal issue, with few right or wrong answers. And that's probably why I'm drawn.
botann
20 years ago
"And I also read "Passionate Gardening" in which mulch is decried as an evil entity; nature does not mulch, after all."
Baloney. What are fallen leaves and needles and twigs?
Nature mulches continually around here and almost everywhere that plants grow. I haven't read the book and I'm not going to. Somebody hasn't a clue what they are writing about. From that one sentence alone, I can see it would be a waste of time.