Comments on: On garden anxiety

By: El

El — Thu, 28 May 2009 12:36:56 +0000

Ed, I do love their looks too. Considering the iffy harvests I get from them some years and the fact that what gets eaten is such a terribly small percentage of what grows you’d think I would relegate them to lower status in the garden, but no. I love them! Last year was a rebuilding year of the seed stock so this year should be a good harvest.

asonomagarden, yeah: planting corn IS pleasurable considering I am not planting acres of the stuff! Just popcorn and a blue sweet corn. Otherwise I would probably feel even MORE anxious, you know?

Accidental Huswife: I know! Don’t you always feel you’re working against the clock despite your best-laid plans? I sure do.

Dava, walking around with a glass of wine is the way I get my best garden planning done! And supposedly having one in your hand prohibits one from doing much but you’ve demonstrated the opposite is true

Stefaneer, I completely stress out about record-keeping! Ah one day I will be completely on top of it all but that day is far in the future. But yeah, being in the garden is a lot more consistently rewarding than working, I will give you that, and certainly beats commuting anywhere. But I do know what you mean: practice makes perfect. At this point in my gardening career I have very few moments of “now what do I do?” So keep at it!

Linda, I take it the beans are all up and look good, so good luck!

MC, they take up less room than normal bush beans if that helps but their harvest is smaller, if that helps. I hope you do find some; they’re quite lovely…

WS, my spouse does too. Actually I keep him out of the garden unless I need some heavy lifting or need someone to hold on to the dumb end of a project. It’s safer that way all around. I had visions though that he would love it: adore it, work side by side with me…you know, I fear I am too much of a vegetable tyrant so I am kind of happy things worked out the way they did.

Green Bean, hi! Yeah. I know. Agita all around. My answer to the roly-polies is plant twice as many and squish all that I see (though darn they are quite fertile considering how many new ones I find). But deer! I would start having visions of venison stew if they got to be too big of a problem But we used the last of the strawberry jam yesterday (!!) so preservation season can’t come too soon! (Wait: did I just say that? Shoot me now.)

By: Green Bean

Green Bean — Thu, 28 May 2009 04:15:33 +0000

Ha! I laughed out loud. I was up in a panic this morning also worrying about the garden. Had the deer gotten in last night? What did the roly polies (I kid you not) devour? Was it too late to plant more pumpkins? I feel you . . . on everything including preservation season.

By: Weeping Sore

Weeping Sore — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:47:16 +0000

Gardening is the opposite of drudgery for me. Too bad my spouse considers them to be synonymous. Hope your day off was relaxing and stress-free.

By: Mangochild

Mangochild — Wed, 27 May 2009 08:17:47 +0000

Favas are one of the spring goodies that are hardest to find locally here for some reason. I don’t have the space to grow them (I don’t think), sadly – I hope my new CSA has them!

By: dayphoto

dayphoto — Tue, 26 May 2009 21:20:07 +0000

We have just spent an axious time worrying about our beans and if they were going to come up.

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com/

By: stefaneener

stefaneener — Tue, 26 May 2009 16:48:27 +0000

I’m not sure it’s anxiety — it’s a real kind of concern. You’ve got to get things done in time, and yet you’re not in control at all of things like insects, the weather, etc. But it is so much more satisfying than stressing about traffic, or what your boss thinks of you, or whether the client will like the presentation.

It’s real work, with a real payoff, and yet I think that we’ve forgotten just how busy an agricultural life truly is. Good busy, with fallow seasons, but busy.

I’m hoping that years of practice and recordkeeping will cut down on the “now what do I need to do?” worries.

Here’s to your new corn!!

By: Dava

Dava — Tue, 26 May 2009 16:05:02 +0000

Great post, and spot on! I spent each day this weekend getting my “must get done today” list done. Then I would sit down with a glass of wine, only to think I could go ahead and do that one more thing that really needs to be done. I think I got more done carrying that glass of wine around the garden then I did with the original list!

By: Accidental Huswife

Accidental Huswife — Tue, 26 May 2009 16:04:36 +0000

I’m the same way! Because Mother Nature waits for no one!

By: asonomagarden

asonomagarden — Tue, 26 May 2009 15:48:41 +0000

I guess you have anxiety no matter how simple you make your life, but at least having to plant corn is for the most part a pleasureable task!

By: Ed Bruske

Ed Bruske — Tue, 26 May 2009 13:02:06 +0000

Favas! One of my personal favorites in the garden, perhaps even more for form than for function. The foliage has a strangely prehistoric look–very architectural. And the blossoms look like a swarm of white butterflies–with big black dots on their wings–has descended on the garden. Nic pic.