Last time we had tea together, I shared some gardener鈥檚 New Year鈥檚 resolutions with you. I鈥檇 like to tell you about another article I read that also encourages gardeners. For those of us who have been gardening for a while, we might forget how intimidating it can be for a new gardener to get started. It seems like there is so much to learn, with literally millions of articles of gardening information on-line, plus books and magazines, plus the pressure of seeing beautifully groomed yards in our neighborhood and wondering if we can ever do anything like that. It can make some would-be gardeners just sit back in their lawn chairs and give up before they even begin.
By chance I found a site called The Cook鈥檚 Garden (www.cooksgarden.com). Their description is 鈥渟eeds and plants for gourmet gardeners鈥�. There are interesting garden products to buy, as well as great articles. There was an article called 鈥淣ew to Gardening鈥�, and it is about beginning gardeners, but I think we can all learn from it if we think of ourselves as gardening students. The first point made was that 鈥淭here鈥檚 a gardener in everyone just waiting to sprout鈥�, so we should just get started without fear! It said we should pick our spot with care, whether it is a plot of soil or a container, and make the soil the best that we are able.聽 We should not 鈥渙ver-do鈥� (with work or ambition!) so we don鈥檛 get discouraged, but grow something that we can handle and care for well. And if we are really beginner green-thumbs, we should choose easy plants such as radishes, lettuce and beans that will perform well and not let us down.
I thought this was a good 鈥渞efresher鈥� because sometimes we do take on more than we can reasonably manage; why do we make it so hard on ourselves? Gardening is a joy! We should do all we can to keep it that way!
So I鈥檇 say let鈥檚 encourage gardeners wherever we can. The days of being considered 鈥渁 gardener鈥� only if you have acres and acres of garden are thankfully gone.聽 鈥淕ardeners鈥� can have gardens of any size, even if their gardens are grown in containers by their back step. 鈥淕ardeners鈥� may not even have a physical garden, only a heartfelt interest in gardening. We can鈥檛 say that gardeners who have gardened all their lives (and are now unable to because of health or physical restrictions) are no longer 鈥済ardeners鈥�.聽 They may be 鈥渁rmchair鈥� gardeners, but they are gardeners just the same! And always, always encourage junior gardeners!
Next, we should never assume that we know all there is to know about gardening. There is so much to learn, and that鈥檚 what makes gardening so much fun! I feel so privileged to know so many wonderful gardening friends, and it is always a joy to share their company and hear about their favorite plant projects. If you are gardening with great success right now, always keep your gardening mind open to new ideas. Visit the library and take out a gardening book on a topic you are not familiar with. Even if you don鈥檛 plan to make one, read about Japanese gardens.聽 Even if you prefer geraniums, read about cacti.聽 And if you are comfortable on the computer, go to a search engine and type in a garden-related word and see where it takes you: roses, lemons, carrots, whatever! You might find a new favorite topic.
A housekeeping note: in 2015, the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society will be holding their meetings on Wednesdays, starting with the first meeting of the new year on Wednesday, February 18. So please mark your calendar and we hope you can join us. That鈥檚 Wednesday, February 18.
Have a great week!
