Every year I get spring fever. It typically starts around the middle of February, when I've had about all I can stand of the snow and brown, dead landscapes. And so about mid-February I start feeling the itch to grow a garden. I'm roaring and ready to go with a truck-load of seeds by the time the ground is warm enough to work, and so out to the garden I go. And the planting begins, and it goes great! One afternoon of tilling and planting all my seeds in the ground, and I'm all set to see stuff come up. And then, life hits me, reality sets in, and before I know it the truck-load of seeds has turned into a jungle mess of plants, weeds, and bugs. And I do all I can to avoid looking at the jungle, because then I feel guilty for not taking better care of it. But really, who wants to spend all their free time weeding? Or canning all those extra green beans and tomatoes that grew? (Who knew you could grow enough food for an army if you dump out that whole seed packet in the garden? Or that one tomato plant could produce a whole swimming-pool full of tomatoes?) I have spent more time than I care to admit pulling weeds, in the dark (mainly because I hate the heat, get sunburns in the shade, and get heatstroke in 90 degree weather so I weed after the sun goes down), which may explain what happened to my carrot crop two years ago... (pretty sure I pulled them all up thinking they were weeds). And countless nights washing, cooking, and canning my fresh produce. Little do I remember, each February through May, what I got myself into last year. And so, of course, I get myself into the same predicament year after year. By the time the growing season is over and the weeds stop taking over my garden plot, I'm filled with such tremendous relief that I just KNOW I won't be planting a garden next year.
Hah. Never works out that way. Sort of like having kids - about the time those little guys are 2 1/2, I think to myself "I'm never doing this again!" And then, somehow, I forget. And another one comes along and I think "Oh - so cute and so sweet and so precious!" And of course, I'm in for it again in about 2 1/2 years. So the cycle goes.
But this year, I got wise. I (again - typical Christine fashion here) got a book and read about how to grow a garden without all the horrible work and drain and mess that I've previously gotten myself into, and off we went. The book is called The All New Square Foot Gardening and it is a great book describing how to grow a garden in much less space and with much less upkeep and much less wasted food, time, and energy. (Check out their website here.) The claim is that you can grow as much food in a 4'x4' square foot garden as you could grow in an 8'x10' traditional row garden. Saves space, saves water, saves weeding, saves your energy, and it looks about a zillion times better. I was impressed, to say the least. And enthralled. And it was great because there's a fair amount of setup required (well, if you're going to get into it as much as I planned to there is anyway) and it was the beginning of the year when my spring fever hits and I have ambition enough to tackle a big project. And of course Kimball is always up for my projects if it means he gets to use power tools, so I managed to convince him this was the way to go as well. :)
So after much setup and preparation, we now have a thriving Square Foot Garden. And I'm pleased to say I have so far, in the nearly 4 weeks my garden has been growing, pulled a total of 2 weeds. I've staggered my plantings so everything won't be ready to harvest at the same exact moment which means fresh produce for me continuously instead of trying to find a place to keep it good while we eat only carrots and lettuce and tomatoes three meals a day all summer long. I've also got so much food growing that I'm hopeful to be able to skip produce department at the store pretty much every week (except for fruit, I guess, though I am growing watermelon and cantaloupe). Saves me a fair amount on groceries as well as giving my family something healthy to eat and a wonderful hobby to do together. The kids each have their own gardens that they check on frequently. Even the baby has her own garden, though we didn't plant anything in it for her this year - she just has a square foot of dirt to dig in.
Anyway, if you're looking for a good way to garden, I'd recommend this book. It's really not expensive or hard unless you want to put all the frills and bells and whistles on. You can do a 4'x4' Square Foot Garden for very little money, and it'll be the best garden you've planted - I know mine is. And lest you think it's too late to start this year, never fear. There's always something that can be planted, as long as you're in a growing season. And if you're not, then get your boxes ready, get your dirt rounded up, and you'll be way ahead when the spring comes!
