The 20-30 Something Garden Guide. Dee Nash
book, you can create an inviting oasis wherever you live. I know, because I’ve lived and gardened in all circumstances, from a city apartment with only a south-facing balcony to my present home in the country on 7.5 acres.
Inside, you’ll find three, distinct, garden development plans for all sizes of available space – balcony, patio or small yard– along with easy, illustrated steps to take you through three years of building upon success and lessons learned. But no pressure . . . you can work at your own pace. Work ahead if you like, or take two years (even three!) at a particular stage. It’s your garden and your choice. You can also start with the first garden plan, which is all about containers, and then move on to the second garden plan or the third. It’s independent study, but with a friend. I’m standing right beside you, celebrating what works and helping with what doesn’t.
I should also mention that I’ve loaded up these pages with how-to’s, easy-to-achieve DIY projects, charts, sketches – and lots of tips and other gardening road signs. And we’ll kick-start your learning curve with a brief glossary of common garden terms, right up front. Oh, and a gardener’s basic tool kit, too. You didn’t think I was going to throw you into the deep end without your water wings, did you?
About time
Caring for the garden can be worked around tight schedules, including the 40-plus-hour workweek and the topsy-turvy lifestyle of a new parent – both of which provide little time for the great outdoors. I understand the constraints of a busy schedule. I had three of our four children in six years and also worked full time in an office building. As a result of my own hectic life, I had to learn to work in 30-minute increments. Was it worth it? Absolutely. There was nothing like pulling into my driveway at the end of the day and seeing containers full of flowers by the front door, welcoming me home.
Why am I writing a garden book for 20-30 Somethings? Because those were some of the busiest years in my own life, and because two of my children, Ashley and Megan, are 20-30 Somethings themselves. I understand only too well the challenges of trying to “do it all” and still keep some balance, beauty and connection in our days.
Reality check
Have you been watching (and drooling over) some of those amazing garden shows on TV? Fun as they are, they can leave the impression that gardening is all about DIY projects and instant gratification. You have a garden crew or television crew come in, and in a few hours – voila! The yard is finished. Who wouldn’t want that? But what doesn’t come across is the reality that gardening is more about the process than the results. Even projects completed by experts must be maintained. Those crews leave and you are alone with their creation.
I want a richer experience for you. I want these garden projects to be yours, and to have your ideas inhabit them once the soil and plants are installed. I also want you to try to slow down and consider gardening as the process that it is. Just like yoga, it will give you great results, but it’s the ongoing process of inhabiting the postures and learning to breathe that gets you there. And just like yoga, gardening can take you away from the computer or your day job and help you to relax – even if it’s just minutes a day.
These are all good reasons to garden, so let’s plunge our hands into the soil and get dirty. The garden is our playground. Let’s play!
Clockwise from top:
Bill, Dee, Claire, Ashley, Megan and Brennan
Dee
A GARDENER’S GLOSSARY
Although no garden glossary is complete, below are a few vegetable-growing terms you’ll find helpful.
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Aeration – The loosening of soil or other matter by various means, allowing air to pass freely through it.
Acidic Soil – Soil with a pH reading below 7.0; soil measuring above 7.0 pH is called alkaline. Drier soils tend to be more alkaline. Use a soil test to determine pH along with other factors.
Amendment – Organic material added to soil to improve it.
Annual – A plant that completes its entire growth cycle from seed to bloom and again to seed in one year’s time.
Beneficial Insects – Insects that improve the soil (e.g., earthworms), pollinate plants, or control harmful insects and other garden pests.
Biennial – A plant that takes two seasons to complete its life cycle, flowering and producing seed in the second year.
Blossom End Rot – A disorder of tomatoes, peppers and eggplant caused by a lack of calcium. Uneven watering and drought are also factors.
Bolting – When a cold-weather plant, like spinach or kale, is stressed by heat, causing it to flower and set seed if left in place. All is not lost: you can eat these flowers, too.
Cloche – A glass or plastic cover meant to protect plants from cold temperatures or animals.
Companion Planting – Growing one or more plants together because they perform well in the same space and benefit each other.
Compost – Organic humus created by layering green and brown matter and allowing them to decompose. Great for the garden, it helps maintain soil moisture and temperature while also balancing soil organisms to prevent disease and improve fertility.
Cultivar – A plant variety or strain produced in cultivation through breeding or selection.
Cutworm – Worm-like larvae of any variety of moth that curls up into a C-shape and cuts plants off at soil level. Often green, brown or yellow with stripes. Various methods are used to foil these creatures when new plants are set out into the garden.
Dormancy – The act of a plant not producing growth and being in a state of stasis. Dormant oils are a natural pest control, sprayed when fruit trees and other perennials are dormant.
GMO – Genetically modified organism, meaning its genetic material is modified using genetic engineering. GMO foods are often a result of gene splicing from two different species.
Heirloom Plants – Time-tested, open-pollinated plants passed down from more than one generation of gardeners often in a particular region – often having more vigor and disease resistance for that region.
Hybrid – Controlled crosses of two parent plant varieties. They are not GMOs.
Mesclun – A mix of assorted young salad greens from lettuces and other greens like mustard, radicchio and arugula.
Mulch – Shredded leaves, compost, chopped bark or any other material which will decay over time, but is spread beneath plants to improve the soil, moderate soil temperature, and retain moisture. Rubber “mulch” does not count.
OMRI-Listed – A product tested and certified by the Organic Materials Review Institute, http://www.omri.org/.
Open Pollinated – Plants that are pollinated by the wind, insects, birds, etc. (See Heirloom Plants.)
Overwinter – To keep plants alive over the winter by bringing them indoors or into a greenhouse.
Perennial – A plant that lives and grows for several consecutive years in place. Some plants are considered hardy perennials