Resolutions From A Gardener
Another year is upon us. Forty-five percent of us will make resolutions, a tradition dating back 4000 years. The ancient Babylonians made promises to their gods. January 1st the Romans celebrated, thanks to Julius Caeser. Christians followed suit, resolving on the first day of the New Year to do better.
Gardeners are, for the most part, positive about the future. They know the sun will come up in the east, summer will be warm, and winter will provide water through rain and snow. Gardeners also know that variability will require adjustments. Nature’s variables teach numerous lessons and offer chances to atone for our garden actions.
Resolution #1. “That depends” should be all gardeners’ mantra. Nature has so many building blocks that often the answers are illusive. When someone starts an answer with “it depends,” they are being honest. How is your dirt, water, garden practices, quality of plants, and sunlight? Resolve to think about the whole picture.
Resolution #2. Use timing to your benefit. Apply that 45% chicken manure soil amendment in the winter when your neighbors are hiding indoors and cannot smell it to complain. It will break down, be ready for spring, and not burn your plants in summer heat. Dig holes for large potted plants on a dry winter day when your soil is moist and easy to dig. You will be able to view drainage as the storms pass through and can put the potted plant in the hole, keeping the plant upright and the hole open. Much better to dig the hole in 60-degree weather than 100-degree. Resolve to increase your enjoyment by timing your work.
Resolution #3. Don’t waste money. Shopping therapy runs a close second to gardening therapy. Resolve to know what you are buying. If you buy ornamental cabbage in July, get ready to watch them bolt and die. Read those plant tags and know your zone. Quick, what zone do you live in? If you are a beginning gardener, don’t spend $1000 on a 25-gallon Japanese maple without some guidance. Don’t buy seven flats of annuals unless you have the time and place to plant. Don’t buy the unique, pretty plant that just got off the nursery truck if you are going to leave it on your front porch until it dies. Have a plan and a spot to plant it. Resolve not to buy tomato plants in February just to have to replant in May.
Resolution #4. Be physically smarter. We all see those commercials of retired folks gardening up a storm. The TV never shows those folks trying to get up off the garden path or move ten bags of soil conditioner. Get help or adjust your methods.
Resolution #5. Take on challenges. As your gardening prowess becomes stronger, try more things. If that plant does not fit your shady yard or is out of your zone, figure out how to mitigate the problems. Just as in the rest of life, gardening is all about adjustments. Our 4000 years of ritual resolutions help to plan our way in the New Year. Be part of the 8% that are successful!
Julie Silva is a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener of Tuolumne County.
