Am I the only one itching to plant a garden? As soon as we have a warm day or two I’m day dreaming about my yard. I have a confession, I’ve already planted peas and will get the beets and lettuce in the ground this weekend.
Planting a vegetable garden does wonders for your budget and your eating habits. Yes, growing tomatoes takes longer than going to the store but just imagine how wonderful that salsa will taste when you can say it all came out of your garden. Also, when you grow it you know what chemicals it’s been exposed to, in my case that’s none, I don’t use chemical fertilizers or bug killers around anything I’m going to eat.
Flower beds make your yard beautiful and inviting. I love the little hummingbirds that come to visit my flowers. A well tended flower bed increases the curb appeal of your home and is much nicer to look at when you are sitting on the deck. The outside of your home can reflect your personality just like the inside. Plant things you love. One of my favorite things that grows here is Columbine and I plant it everywhere, it’s beautiful and makes me happy when I see it.
Cleaning up the yard getting all the beds ready to be planted is good exercise and will pay off in a riot of fruits and vegetables. Plant what you love and a few things you’ve never tried. The kids will be more willing to try vegetables they’ve grown themselves.
As for the flower beds, grow sturdy flowers so you can have a vase full inside all summer long. Your gardens don’t have to be perfect to bring you joy. One thing I’ve discovered is that every year the flower beds get prettier. The perennials I’ve planted in previous years along with the new things I’ll put in this year make a happy home for bees and butterflies.
If all this gardening is too intimidating, get a few hanging plants and some containers. Most vegetable and flowers can be grown in containers. The containers make it easier to move them in or out of the sun and can make watering easier as well.
Whatever you do, enjoy it. Gardening should be fun after all, who doesn’t like digging in the dirt?