Oh, how we wish it were warm and sunny! It's been colder, snowier, and wetter than usual in the North Carolina mountains this winter and we're itching for some balmy weather! The first day of spring is around the corner and hopefully the weather report of possible snow this weekend turns out to be wrong.
I've been able to put in a little time gardening here and there on sunnier days, but can't wait to really get outside. I go gardening crazy every spring -- planning the garden, re-reading my gardening books, ordering seeds, moving plants around, etc. But my gardening zeal seems to peter out every summer when the mosquitoes come out and the humid heat sets in. As with parenting, the gardener I want to be and the gardener I am are far apart!
Each year I say that this will be the year I stick with it. This will be the year I'm more than just a springtime gardener! So, here, I will say it again.
My gardening goals for the year:
Keep the vegetable garden productive throughout the summer.
Plant another bean pole teepee.
Mulch like crazy to help conserve moisture and keep weeds down.
Get our soil tested (I tried this last year but never got the results back so assume it was lost in the mail or something).
Continue to learn what will grow in a yard surrounded on three sides by black walnut trees (the juglone emitted by the roots kills many plants).
Try growing tomatoes upside down.
Replace chain link fence with wood fence.
Hopefully harvest at least some fruit! We planted a cherry tree, plum tree, rhubarb, and some raspberries last year.
Plant a fall garden and overwinter greens.
Figure out how to minimize the darn mosquitoes. Any tips on this? They are really my undoing. I can't stand them.
What are your gardening goals?
