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Garden Again! And God Bless Mel's Mix
+4
Kelejan
Denese
middlemamma
Chopper
8 posters
Garden Again! And God Bless Mel's Mix
And to make a short story long...
I have not planted anything since February or so. At that time my life took a nose dive - just when I thought I was coming up for air - and it sent me into a depression. Part of that involved the garden. I thought I would have to move asap and I finished up with what was growing, but otherwise could not bear to look at it or go in the backyard.
Depression, although hideously boring on the outside, is a real thing. Who knew? Managed to not sink, and almost started the garden a few times but would just get overwhelmed. OK. Fast forward to now. The imminent end of living here was postponed yet another month. And here it is August and I have missed the whole summer and I could have planted!
So last night I said "Screw it. Last year the garden saved my sanity and I could certainly use some more this year so I am planting. Move be damned" And today that is what I did. However, this was now in a backyard that had been horribly neglected in a year when we had record rains. It is a jungle. A jungle I have not mowed in months. But - baby steps.
I cleared a pathway around the first two beds and there I planted beets, carrots, zucchini (in the 2X2), peas (early but oh well) and a tomato (late, but never say die!) I was able to snag at the local Lowes. I was sure they would all be gone. The peas and tomato are both a crap shoot. Well, it is ALL a crap shoot because I really do not know what tomorrow will bring except I know that I now have my garden started.
Who knows? Maybe I will win the lottery and buy the house outright. But then, dang - I will be stuck with a really overgrown backyard! LOL.
MEL'S MIX: When cleaning up the boxes, the weeds that were there - full grown rascals, came out very easily. Thank you Mel!
A hard won pathway around the boxes - a 6X3 and a 2X2.
What the other boxes look like. Super easy to pull weeds from MM though!
It all looks so neat at this point. I could not find the pink nylon string I have bought for the grid so I used the plastic plant tape. An expensive, but available, option.
I planted peas and tomatoes side by side. Seems odd.
And look what I found in my 2X2 - a sweet potato coming back. Must have left a piece in the ground. Can't bear to pull it. Hopefully it and the zucchini will do OK together.
My beautiful wild flower box never gave up and in the midst of the chaos came back and lightened my day.
I have not planted anything since February or so. At that time my life took a nose dive - just when I thought I was coming up for air - and it sent me into a depression. Part of that involved the garden. I thought I would have to move asap and I finished up with what was growing, but otherwise could not bear to look at it or go in the backyard.
Depression, although hideously boring on the outside, is a real thing. Who knew? Managed to not sink, and almost started the garden a few times but would just get overwhelmed. OK. Fast forward to now. The imminent end of living here was postponed yet another month. And here it is August and I have missed the whole summer and I could have planted!
So last night I said "Screw it. Last year the garden saved my sanity and I could certainly use some more this year so I am planting. Move be damned" And today that is what I did. However, this was now in a backyard that had been horribly neglected in a year when we had record rains. It is a jungle. A jungle I have not mowed in months. But - baby steps.
I cleared a pathway around the first two beds and there I planted beets, carrots, zucchini (in the 2X2), peas (early but oh well) and a tomato (late, but never say die!) I was able to snag at the local Lowes. I was sure they would all be gone. The peas and tomato are both a crap shoot. Well, it is ALL a crap shoot because I really do not know what tomorrow will bring except I know that I now have my garden started.
Who knows? Maybe I will win the lottery and buy the house outright. But then, dang - I will be stuck with a really overgrown backyard! LOL.
MEL'S MIX: When cleaning up the boxes, the weeds that were there - full grown rascals, came out very easily. Thank you Mel!
A hard won pathway around the boxes - a 6X3 and a 2X2.
What the other boxes look like. Super easy to pull weeds from MM though!
It all looks so neat at this point. I could not find the pink nylon string I have bought for the grid so I used the plastic plant tape. An expensive, but available, option.
I planted peas and tomatoes side by side. Seems odd.
And look what I found in my 2X2 - a sweet potato coming back. Must have left a piece in the ground. Can't bear to pull it. Hopefully it and the zucchini will do OK together.
My beautiful wild flower box never gave up and in the midst of the chaos came back and lightened my day.
Last edited by Chopper on 8/12/2011, 10:13 pm; edited 3 times in total
Re: Garden Again! And God Bless Mel's Mix
Chopper, as a fellow gardener who can empathize with the kind of despair a garden can heave you up from the depths of...it warms my heart tremendously to read this post! I wish I could come help you clean up your other boxes but instead all I can give you is a couple of virtual hugs!
YOU GO CHOPPER!
YOU GO CHOPPER!
middlemamma-
- Posts : 2264
Join date : 2010-04-25
Age : 46
Location : Idaho Panhandle
Re: Garden Again! And God Bless Mel's Mix
Thank you middlemamma. I knew you would understand.
And boffer, as I was planting I was thinking, "Next place I really have to look in to putting some table tops together"!
And boffer, as I was planting I was thinking, "Next place I really have to look in to putting some table tops together"!
Re: Garden Again! And God Bless Mel's Mix
Chopper, if/when you do move, you can bag up all that glorious MM in big black trash bags and take it with you!! And, I'd take my boxes, etc. as well, if possible. This is assuming you'll have a place to put in a garden where you move, of course.
{{Big hugs}}, too. Depression can be really difficult. Been there, done that (more than once ). Gardening is good for the soul!!
{{Big hugs}}, too. Depression can be really difficult. Been there, done that (more than once ). Gardening is good for the soul!!
Denese- Posts : 324
Join date : 2011-05-31
Age : 69
Location : Southeast Michigan
Re: Garden Again! And God Bless Mel's Mix
As middlemama says, "YOU GO CHOPPER"
I have found that when feeling down, gardening is very helpful, and with SFG it seems that one can make a great improvement in the appearance of the beds in a very short time.
Keep it up!
I have found that when feeling down, gardening is very helpful, and with SFG it seems that one can make a great improvement in the appearance of the beds in a very short time.
Keep it up!
Re: Garden Again! And God Bless Mel's Mix
Way to go, Chopper! MM is just the BEST! It is amazing how much it lifts the spirits just pulling weeds from MM - the visible result is so fast and dramatic, just what depression needs (yes, from experience)!
GG
GG
Goosegirl- Posts : 3435
Join date : 2011-02-16
Age : 59
Location : Zone 4A - NE SD
Re: Garden Again! And God Bless Mel's Mix
My mother said she could always tell when I had been working in the garden (flower or veggie) from the tone of my voice. It was brighter.
I had to leave my garden and farm out my summer plants, but I still don't regret going ahead and making the effort. Don't know what I'll find when I return, but I was in a better frame of mind for the effort.
Slow and steady and even a small garden will pay dividends.
Kay, broadcasting from Vienna
I had to leave my garden and farm out my summer plants, but I still don't regret going ahead and making the effort. Don't know what I'll find when I return, but I was in a better frame of mind for the effort.
Slow and steady and even a small garden will pay dividends.
Kay, broadcasting from Vienna
A WEED IS A FLOWER GROWING IN THE WRONG PLACE
Elizabeth City, NC
Click for weather forecast
walshevak
Certified SFG Instructor- Posts : 4374
Join date : 2010-10-17
Age : 81
Location : wilmington, nc zone 8
Re: Garden Again! And God Bless Mel's Mix
Chopper, really glad to see you back in the garden. It can be a life saver for many of us. Enjoy what time you have at this location and really think hard about those table tops when you do move. I love my TTs and they make "working" in the garden so much easier, especially with everything "right in your face". Enjoy!
Furbalsmom- Posts : 3141
Join date : 2010-06-10
Age : 77
Location : Coastal Oregon, Zone 9a, Heat Zone 2 :(
Re: Garden Again! And God Bless Mel's Mix
Your garden looks great and the surrounding areas also look very nice. I was expecting to see huge overgrowth of grass and such...the pictures show it actually looks really nice. Congratulations on starting your garden!
AZDYJ2K- Posts : 169
Join date : 2010-05-28
Location : Chandler, AZ USDA Zone 9A
Re: Garden Again! And God Bless Mel's Mix
AZDYJ2K wrote:Your garden looks great and the surrounding areas also look very nice. I was expecting to see huge overgrowth of grass and such...the pictures show it actually looks really nice. Congratulations on starting your garden!
LOL. I can assure you that the pictures were taken to the best advantage of the garden. I made sure it was a tight enough shot to block out the surrounding chaos. But no matter. I have seeds in the ground and all is right with the world again.
And thanks for the encouragement my garden friends.
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