Looking forward

Like my gardens, my life is an ever changing and growing affair.  This past year, at a time when I had thought the pace of my life would slow down, I chose to take on a full-time job that would provide much needed health insurance for our family.  While I enjoy my new job and the benefits it provides, time management has become an important factor in all of my decision making, including decisions about my gardens.

One of my first decisions was to move most of my container plants directly into the ground where maintenance is much simpler.  I tried to choose wise locations for each of my treasured plants and as spring approaches, we will see how wisely I actually chose.

I also decided not to use my cold frame this winter, which meant that all the containers which were not cold hardy had to find a place somewhere near a window in my house.  Some plants have fared well but there were some that missed the bright sun of the cold frame and are hoping I will put them back outdoors soon.

The other major decision was to cut back on germinating my own starter plants for the garden.  I have been playing with my own version of sweet banana peppers for several years so I decided to keep them going.  This spring, I will let the garden centers start my tomatoes and annual flowers for me.  I found an old packet of basil seed and since there was room in my single starter flat, I decided to see how many would grow.  Basil is a great filler plant both in the vegetable garden and in the flower beds too.

I'm looking forward to the future of my more laid back gardening style.