Sunday, July 20, 2008

I'm not sure I like gardening

At least not vegetable gardening. I love getting the veggies and eating them but the rest of it is kind of a pain. The pruning and weeding all get to be a bit much. I am also realizing that though I like the product of my laissez-faire attitude in the flower garden, what it produces in the vegetable garden is a complete mess. The "messy" perennial border seems "right".



The yard is kind of fun with odd squash and tomato plants popping up and the wildflowers that are leftover from seed are even better than last year. Did I even plant cone flower? I didn't think so but here they are, with a tomato plant growing underneath it. I am anxious for next year and for bringing in a few taller plants or trees to fill the front a bit.In the back yard, I am less than enthusiastic. When the same method of gardening is used with the veggies, it just causes frustration. I just don't know any other way though. Vines of watermelon, peas, and cucumbers all intertwined with tomatoes and marigolds. It's impossible to even get to the weeds if there are any. Also, shouldn't I cut back some of these plants so the fruits can ripen and get larger? Good luck in this mess. It's hard to even distinguish the plants from one another.


They look incredible but even the sunflowers are a bit annoying. I either need more space or I need to plant fewer things. But if I planted fewer things, would it be worth even having a garden? Or maybe I take a cue from the front yard and really mix things up next year and scatter the veggies everywhere.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Have you checked out square foot gardening? The main thing with vegetable plants is that they really do need the space recommended. (In order to fruit/ripen) Square foot gardening is a good way to maximize the small space you have available.

Andy said...

I guess if you scattered the veggies next year like you suggest, you'd have an instant salad... :)

The wildflowers look great...my neighbor's purple coneflowers are blooming too, and she has a whole swath of them, so it's pretty.