It’s gardening time!!
One of my favorite times of the year.
My youngest son is my farmer in training, and he and I have already been cultivating our seedlings as we anxiously await putting them in the ground. Our raised bed is all prepared, and our little plants are coming along nicely.
My mom was born with a green thumb, but I didn’t inherit that gene at all, so I find it helpful to turn to books and other resources before attempting any garden experiments.
Down & Dirty! 43 Fun & Funky First-Time Projects & Activities to Get You Gardening by Ellen Zachos is a fun and non-threatening book for novice gardeners like my son and me.
Down & Dirty is a treasure-trove of information. It really covers it all. And, everything is realistic and doable, which is the main reason I really love it. My biggest takeaway from the book is that even a small container garden “counts” as gardening, and I have learned not to compare my successes with those of expert gardeners or the pages of magazines.
So, my son and I have learned how to plant certain things so that the deer and we will be happy. Our first year gardening, deer ate and trampled our corn before we could harvest it, much to our dismay!
A really fun feature in Down & Dirty is the “Dinosaur Garden for Kids of All Ages” section, which gives step-by-step instructions for creating a truly interactive garden.
There are lots of other backyard ideas in Down & Dirty, like building a fire pit, laying stones, and making scarecrows. The garden ideas do not cover much vegetable gardening but do include flowers, some edible plants, bulbs, trees, bushes, and even wild plants.
Any time we need inspiration, or even help in knowing how and when to water our plants, Down & Dirty is a wonderful go-to resource.. . .
Off to check on our plant babies! Happy gardening!
I so do not have a green thumb. I am always willing to learn though