Hello, my name is proto26. I live in the Midwest United States, zone 6a. Here, we get temperate cold winters and warm summers. The winters are too cold penetrating and have finally killed off my thyme and sage. A few zones to the south and plants like rosemary and scarlet runner beans would grow perennially. But, alas. We're having an extremely mild winter this year so far but it's a bit too early to tell if it's 'over'. Whatever the groundhog may think, we still have a solid 3 months to go but that didn't stop me from scattering some pinto beans from last year. Maybe they'll die or get eaten but one thing I like about gardening is that sometimes you just never know. And every year feels like the first Spring!
What about the first Spring?
One of my earliest memories is of gardening! I remember many, if not all, of those early garden moments being with my grandmother. Technically it was something I was forced to do. Since all of my sisters were in school and my parents at work, my grandparents babysat me. And well, my grandma loved impatiens. She called them gallos but I saw no apparent connection to roosters. Common Spanish plant names aren't always intuitive...
My grandma would take the plants out of their trainers, showing me that the root ball needed to be gently loosened, and tell me exactly where she wanted it. She couldn't get down on the ground due to her bad knees but luckily had a large supply of voluntary servitude. I spent time with my grandpa similarly planting tomatoes, jalapeños, and of course cucumbers. Once those vines covered the entire chainlink fence, hunting for those juicy summer snacks was a game in itself.
During all this time with my grandparents I learned much and honed my skills so that by the time my parents gave up on our own home garden, I was ready to take full creative responsibility.
A Hobby as a Way of Life
I used to think that the only thing stopping me from making a living off my garden was the size of it. I always thought it was way to small but now I know that limitation is only mental. I don't think I'm using my vertical space as efficiently as possible. However, don't let its small scale downplay the garden's significance. This hobby is essential to my life. It may be hard work but that sweet pea in the spring or sungold tomato in the summer make it all worth while. If I were a little more dedicated and less lazy then I could probably turn a profit perhaps selling homegrown gourmet mushrooms or another niche product like shishito peppers! But it's often so easy for one feral tomato to hog nearly all the space.
Overgrown or not, the garden is a happy place. It is safe space to get grounded and feel refreshed in the company of birds, bees, and flowers. It is my gym where I burn countless calories. I would irrigate my crops with my own sweat and tears if they weren't so salty! Getting the blood flowing is good and all but it's also nice getting those creative juices flowing trying to solve irrigation, pests, or weed problems better than the year before. It's not that I want to spend less time out there but it's and arms race and sometimes an uphill battle.
So What's the Best Garden?
The best garden is a low-maintenance garden, in my opinion. While I may spend some time in the garden every day, more or less, I don't want to be doing hard work 7 days a week. Watering is done so often it can become a real chore! I don't think a garden is complete without a layer of mulch of few inches thick. All my lots have one: the vegetable garden, the native pollinator garden. There's just not enough time so I try to stretch the watering cycle so as to have ore time for other planting hobbies.
That's why succulents are so fun! You don't need to remember to water every few days; I'm very forgetful. This cactus in particular was able to survive months with no root system at all. I have another that is in the same boat but when you have a to-do list a mile long, a lot of things easily get pushed to the back burner. That's why I also dabble heavily in terrarium gardens. They are very forgettable!
In systems like this, the water is already locked in so watering is few and far between. Sadly, not all plants are suited to this environment and I'm still actively experimenting. There is something so serene about a miniature self-contained ecosystem. I could lose myself simply staring at terrariums for hours.
I've tried to combine my love of terrariums with my love of bean plants with varying amounts of success. Mung beans are good because they are so tiny! I've often wondered why I love beans so much. It's hard to put my finger on... To be honest, I don't love them as food. Don't get me wrong, they are good but I'm not crazy about them. Well, not like that. One amazing thing about the pea and bean family is their great diversity. There are multitudes of pea and bean varieties and species. Some interesting species are trees! Did you know there are leguminous trees? My favorites are the "Madras Thorn" fruit tree, tamarind, and acacia.
The main reason I love this superfamily of plants is their unique ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen into usable fertilizer for themselves. Soil gets degraded every year and it's important to rotate especially with legumes in between the heavy feeding fruits and vegetables. While I cannot actively see it happening, I can definitely see the results in the form of dark, loose, rich soil. When I sow legumes, I feel like I'm doing the Earth a favor. I feel like I'm doing a good deed for myself and the land. Do you know that fulfilling feeling after cleaning a room and tossing out all the rubbish? It feels as rewarding as throwing fresh scraps into the compost pile. As if I'm feeding a hungry beast.
The Garden Takeaway
The biggest lesson I've learned through gardening is that you're never 'done'. It is a journey. It is like life itself, a journey of learning and experimenting and tweaking tries and tested methods. There is no fix-all remedy and there's no all inclusive guide. Part of the journey is like I said, an arms race. When you beat the rabbits, they call in the deer. Gardening is a life-long trial of perseverance and creativity. So what's the best piece of advice? Grow what you love!
And now to commemorate the end of my 'vacation', I present you with a small collection of haiku written by yours, truly.
I'm finally back
It has been a long winter
Sitting on that chair
The strongest survive
Until the waters of Spring
Brighten the long day
Those who are sheltered
And those that devour the Sun
Persist and persist
To be creative
Will require cultivation
And it will flourish
I share my garden
On the Hive Ecosystem
Like it or weed it
